Hi everyone,
For today’s post I wanted to share my experience with flexibility at McKinsey. The firm has a program called Take Time that allows colleagues to take an additional 10 weeks of unpaid leave during the year.
I used the program for the first time at the end of last year—I took an extended winter break and spent time with my family. This year, I took Take Time in early June to again spend some time with my family and also to travel with my fiancé. It was great to take a break to relax, connect with family and friends, and have a few adventures—all without eating into my vacation time. I spent the first week of my time off with my family in London, where I did some wedding planning with my mom and relaxed after a busy few weeks of work. I then set off to the Loire Valley with my fiancé, where we stayed on the grounds of the beautiful Chateau Chambord, and Cinque Terre, where we ended each day of hiking with pasta and gelato. I came back to work energized and refreshed for an exciting summer!
Once I returned, I started an marketing and sales/strategy engagement in the Telecom, Media, & Technology practice. So far I’ve had a great experience for two reasons—I am playing the role of a junior engagement manager with a summer intern on our team (which is really fun!), and I am working with two awesome leaders—Marc, a partner based out of New York, and Katie, an associate partner also based in New York. As always, having great people around you makes work that much better.
In other news, the countdown is on—I’m getting married in a few short weeks, over Labor Day weekend!
Until next time,
Alex