Ladies — You’re More Replaceable Than You Think

Prior to my maternity leave, I was given one week to train my temporary replacement. At the time, I was frustrated in trying to brief everything I do in that given period. In hindsight, I should have seen that the company valued me as replaceable within a week’s training.

If you have any underlying feelings of negativity due to your job, don’t stay out of a sense of loyalty. Don’t stay because you’ve made friends. Don’t stay because you’re scared to leave. Don’t stay because it will make you feel like a quitter. You’re not a quitter. Don’t stay because you are afraid of change. Don’t stay because you feel you have more to prove. Don’t stay if you get tense and nauseous thinking about the day ahead. Don’t stay… because in doing so, you’re violating yourself. You’re disrespecting your gut instinct and your ability to grow and be not only better, but happier. Don’t cloud your brain with disillusions of them needing you or the sense that you’re letting your team down. You’re not. You’re looking out for you just as, at the end of the day, they’re looking out for them.

This may sound cynical, but it’s a hard truth. And if someone had told me this earlier along my career path, I would have done things differently. So this is a gentle reminder, as we’re all burning out and stressed about the future… You are in control. It may not feel that way and you may be at the mercy of children in a way like never before, but you are not, and nor should you ever be, at the mercy of your work. That type of contract comes with a hefty price tag that should always be a nonnegotiable: your health, your sanity, your sense of peace, and your time. If you are going to be a slave to the clock, then have it be on your terms and with direct payouts. Don’t work harder so others can make more money. That’s flat out bullshit.

And for the 2 million women who have had to leave the workforce, you know better than anyone what I’m talking about. Hold these new standards high as you move forward. When meeting a company, the interview works both ways. You get to choose them just as much as they choose you.