The last gig?

I’ve got a job.

I appreciate that might come as a bit of a surprise to those of you who know that comparatively recently I set up as an HR consultant. So I thought I’d blog about it.

As with most important decisions, there are “push” reasons and “pull” reasons for the change of direction. I’ve written before about the ups and down of joining the gig economy. As a permanent member of an organisation, I often looked enviously at the coffee shop-inhabiting, MacBook-tapping gigster, fervently wishing I didn’t have to deal with endless internal emails, office politics, the daily commute and all that jazz.

The grass is always greener, right? Sure, I knew getting a business off the ground would be tough and there would be lean times and I’d probably have to work quite differently… but there was artisan coffee to be drunk, exciting project work to be done and lots of flexibility.

And yes, there certainly was more artisan coffee in my life, which has undeniably been A Good Thing. There was also lots of flexibility. And there have been exciting projects to work on too – I’ve met some great people doing fabulous stuff in a wide variety of organisations. You’re sensing a “but” coming, aren’t you?

But… I missed being part of a team. I missed seeing things through to a conclusion. I missed feeing connected to something larger and having the opportunity to see people develop over the longer term. I missed getting to know people and the daily banter and – yes – I even missed the politics a little bit. Oh and the (almost) certainty of a monthly pay cheque. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that was something I really missed on a few occasions. Plus worrying about tax, NICs, insurance, keeping on top of receipts….

I’m one of the lucky ones: I know that. Many people don’t have a choice about how their work comes to them and I’m very fortunate to have found a fantastic role with a great employer. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the perfect alchemy that is required to get a job in the current market. I may write more about that at some point. But for me, now, I’m in induction mode: seeking to understand and be understood by my new employer and team as well as get to grips with a new sector.

I’m hoping there will still be good coffee, exciting projects and flexibility. I’m just not gigging any more: I’ve taken up residency.