In June 2016 I found myself on the wrong side of a "corporate restructure".
A quick reach out to my network set my mind at rest that I had people willing to take me on in a full-time capacity. Whilst this was a check in the "ego" box, the thought of a rebound job didn't sit right with me....it never has.
A quick scan of the Contract market also left me buoyant mentally in my ability to get work, but I struggled with wondering who am I really working for?......the agent or the "client".
I was also keen to take advantage of the upsides of the restructure to invest some time and money into some business ideas I'd been ruminating over.
As it so often does, my way forward was quick to arrive with a past employer accepting that I was not ready for a full time role, however they were happy to accept whatever I could offer in terms of my time and they had plenty of work to offer.
Whilst it was a bit before the gig economy became a thing, I found myself "in it", and it worked....for both of us. As a consulting company, they had a need to have someone they trusted work only when needed, and me wanting to measure my time with business development had flexibility to only offer a capped number of hours. The relationship was perfect.
As things progressed, the hours I was offered ebb'd and flowed as did my desire (and procrastination levels) on my business initiatives and so I looked for more work. Not just for more money, but also because I wanted to do different things. Through word of mouth, I onboarded a few other clients looking for a similar casual engagement with a trusted resource.
My casual, part-time was now seeing me working 35hours a week (often more). I loved working with a high rotation of projects and people but most of all I enjoyed being able to set times and working structures that suited my young family and my desire to be an active parent.
You'd be forgiven for thinking at this stage, that I never looked back, however, in life things change. After 2.5years, I had a sudden yearning for the one thing that casual (gig life) doesn't provide.....a set of people to build (and share) a portfolio of experiences with ie. a Team.
I'm a strong believer in reflecting & acting, and soon found myself looking for the next part of my career, a role that happily filled that "hole" perfectly with one of the best teams of people I've ever worked with.
The spotlight right now is on how the gig economy has been negative for so many people, people who have not had the luxury of choice and appropriate remuneration.
But for those who have access to a network of people they can simply ask "would you like to work together", and can bear the (sometimes) anxiety of trusting that work will always come I recommend considering questioning the "norms" of the Full-Time/Contract life and experience the freedom of picking and choosing how you fill your "working cup".
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