Resolve's Newest Staffer Shares Her Reflections

I’m a mom of 2 tiny humans, and joining the Resolve Team represents my return to the traditional workforce after almost a year of consulting following maternity leave. I remember how anxious I felt the evening before my first day. “Are you crazy? How will you balance it all when you can barely keep all the spinning plates in the air now,” I remember thinking. But joyfully, if not also surprising, that was the last time I had the “Sunday Scaries.” 

Resolve is full of warm and compassionate people who assume the best of each other and understand that we all have lives, families, bodies to care for, and responsibilities to manage — and our policies reflect that. 

As workforce culture continues to shift, here are four Resolve Philly practices that other employers should implement to create a more inclusive, safe, and flexible workplace for staff.

A True Flexible Work Environment
Many employers say they offer flexible working arrangements, but do they really? Resolve is the first place I’ve worked where I feel like my work can fit into my life instead of my life fitting into my work. Resolve is challenging traditional policies, practices, and attitudes around work/life balance through: 

• A hybrid work environment 
• unlimited PTO and requiring all employees to take a minimum of three weeks off annually
• Closing the office for two weeks — once in the summer and again during the winter holidays
• Setting “core hours” for when employees are expected to be available for meetings. On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, Resolve’s core hours are 10 am-3 pm, giving employees more flexibility to incorporate personal time throughout the work week  and enabling staff to schedule their work to meet their family needs. Resolve employees are also encouraged to block time on their calendars to attend therapy or work out during “traditional” work hours.

Support Not Manage
In various roles, I’ve been managed, I’ve been micromanaged, and I’ve been supported. Resolve’s default is supporting — and the language reflects the intention of the relationships among staff. Supporting is more about guidance, assistance, answering questions, and working together to brainstorm solutions, while management can feel like someone is directing, controlling, or commanding you. Ultimately a manager should play a supporting role, and intentionality with the language used to describe working relationships helps us all be more mindful of how we work together and treat one another.
 

Give Employees Autonomy
Resolve hires based on skill and expertise. Employees are expected to use our experience and knowledge to inform decisions that will ultimately help the organization reach its goals. We’re allowed to be creative, come up with new ideas, and see those ideas through. We’re trusted to get our work done and make our own decisions — which is a great feeling!
 

No Degree Requirements
While many members of Resolve’s staff have undergraduate and graduate degrees, there is no degree requirement to work at Resolve Philly. If you have the experience and skills needed to get the job done, you will be considered if you apply. What an equitable hiring practice!  This opens the door for many folx, especially those from underrepresented communities, to bring their expertise to the table and make an impact without being held back due to the many barriers in obtaining a college degree.

Resolve Philly is a true leader in workplace culture. We’re not perfect, but we try, listen to each other, and are agile and responsive to feedback, which is very important in a growing organization that keeps its employees top of mind. These practices help employees feel more appreciated, valued, and cared for, which will always positively impact your bottom line.

As the workforce continues to shift its expectations around work/life balance, employers should consider the flexibility needed to live a full life that doesn't center work at all times.