why business as usual didn't cut it
published 5.10.20
In a past life, I would leave work anywhere from 8 to 10 PM on a regular basis. After 9, a car home was covered, which was almost motivation to stay the extra 30 minutes sometimes instead of traversing the dimly-lit path to an abandoned subway station and then fight closing eyelids on the commute home.
I couldn’t help but think: how would I handle 12+ hour work days if I were pregnant? And, how would it work once I already had a kid?
Long hours are a reality many moms (and dads, and all caregivers) face daily - now more than ever. I know I’m privileged to be able to envision and pursue an alternative. This access to fulfilling, exciting work is something we work hard to provide to our consultants - it’s a big part of why we do what we do.
When Sam and I decided to start qb. at a cafe in San Francisco, we designed our model around remote work.
We looked around to our peers and noted that most ESG / sustainability / corporate responsibility consulting firms are run by cis-gendered white men [actually, most things period]. It’s not a coincidence that parental leave policies range from subpar to non-existent and flexibility to work “non-traditional” hours comes at a cost. This pandemic has exposed a balancing act working parents were already performing.
We set out to hire people who were looking for flexibility in their lives - graduate students who had erratic schedules and were hungry to apply classroom learning to the real world, parents with young children trying to stay in the workforce on their own terms, freelancers who were choosing a digital nomad lifestyle or changing career paths - anyone who was passionate, organized, and self-motivated - that’s who we wanted.
We look for humble, organized, and hungry.
We weren’t sure how our clients would respond to a team spread out across the country, working unique schedules, and sometimes pursuing other projects at the same time. We tested our model three years ago with our first Fortune 500 client, and the results were overwhelming. Our clients said the experience working with us was seamless, highly enjoyable, and “so easy”.
So we kept going. Now, we work with all sorts of organizations, from NGOs to large multinational companies to growing start-ups to create and deploy ESG strategies and communication plans, all while sticking to our key tenet of flexibility. We found that by (1) depositing our faith in people to meet our high standards and get the job done regardless of their unique schedules, and (2) removing the tiresome micromanaging that can sometimes accompany remote work, both our talent and clients were satisfied and happy - a true win win.
Today, with a toddler at home and the backdrop of COVID-19, I can easily say it was the best decision of my life to make a bet on this team. qb.’s business model and company culture have allowed me to retain some sense of control over my motherhood journey. I have been able to stay home more, breastfeed longer, pump less, manage my time more effectively, hone my communication skills, and let go of all the little things. Being a mompreneur has also given me the appreciation I was missing for working parents and everything it takes to juggle two competing worlds, and do it well (whatever that means).
These are trying times for everyone. Seeing a new or more widespread appreciation during this crisis for all that parents do to find balance has been encouraging. It’s nothing new to parents, especially to stay at home or work at home parents, but the struggle is finally getting more recognition, and that in itself is a win. That’s my reality, but there are so many others I can’t even begin to comprehend - people who are taking care of sick roommates, or unable to visit their grandparents in nursing homes, people who are in hospitals working 12+ hour shifts making big sacrifices for the greater good.
If you’re looking for an ESG firm that puts people first, I would love to chat.
Sending encouragement and health your way,
-N
by Noemí Jimenez
Co-Founder
