14 August 2020 2 min read

I am one of those annoying people who are genuinely energised by work. I love being able to use my technical expertise to support growth, minimise risk and deliver value to customers and clients. Having done a quick survey, all my friends & family are convinced I’d still work after winning the lottery jackpot because I enjoy it so much.

And that’s true, in part. I do want to use the skills I’ve spent years developing to help others, not least because I’m not actually very good at anything else! But as I headed out of my 30s, and after the sudden death of my beloved Dad, I started thinking more about what I wanted out of life.

The answer surprised me and ultimately led to the difficult decision to resign from my permanent, full-time job and try to (finally) achieve some of the work/life balance I’d put off for so long. I certainly didn’t want to stop working altogether, but I wanted more control over what I did and when, and to make more time for the people I love (rather than the job I love).

Working with Hybrid as an associate gives me the best of both worlds. I can continue helping people and businesses, solving their challenges and problems – without working 60 hour weeks. I can take a long weekend to visit the vineyards of France with my husband without working twice as many hours the week before and the week after to minimise the impact of being “out of the office”. I can choose what work I take on, meaning I can focus on the areas I really enjoy.

It’s tempting to assume that the only way to progress in your career is to stick with permanent roles and patiently work your way up the corporate ladder. But working as an associate where you support a wide variety of clients and requirements is a great way to develop greater breadth of expertise, work with some fascinating companies and provide them with support when they need it most. Working with Hybrid has been a truly liberating and rewarding experience so far, and one that I encourage more women to consider.

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Bernie Payne

Bernie is a law graduate from King’s College London and has almost 20 years’ experience in commercial law and regulatory compliance. Her areas of expertise include contract drafting and negotiation, data protection, government policy and legislation implementation, commercial risk management and corporate governance.

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