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Consultant Life: Work-Life Balance With Julia Opipari

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“The buzz is still going strong after all these years.”

It’s no secret that the term work-life balance has held onto its buzzword status for quite some time, and it doesn’t have plans to leave, anytime soon.  But it’s more than just a buzzword. Work-life balance is one way to create a fulfilling and exciting career. If you’re looking for work-life balance, consider a career in consulting.

In today’s Consultant Life interview, I sat down with Julia Opipari, one of Bridgepoint’s Financial Operations Consultants to discuss work-life balance and how Bridgepoint Consulting has helped her achieve it.

What is work-life balance and why is it important?

Think of work-life balance as a scale, with work on one side and life on the other, tipping ever so slightly one way, then the other way, and back to the middle, consistently over time. Not too much one way, just the right amount. If you’re looking for a work-life balance, the “right” amount is determined by you. To get there, you need a career that provides the flexibility for you to decide, “what exactly IS the ‘right’ amount?”

A key step in finding balance is to have a clear idea of what is important to you. Balance doesn’t necessarily mean spending an equal amount of time across all aspects of your life – it is different for everyone.

According to FlexJobs, 79% of workers agree that jobs with flexibility promote better work-life balance and less stressful workdays. For instance, if a job allows employees to work from home, that will save employees time on the commute and give them more time to cook healthy meals or spend time with family. This leads to happiness and fulfillment, which is extremely important for your mental health and those around you.

How does consulting provide work-life balance?

There’s a popular misnomer that consultants must work more than 50 hours a week to satisfy any assigned client project. While it’s true you may have clients that want you to occasionally work some extra hours, in my experience, that is not the general expectation week in and week out.

If you’re working directly for a consulting firm, you get the benefit of having a team of industry leaders and problem solvers around you, whenever needed. This assists in offering more resources to address any challenge you may experience on a project, thus creating more “life” in your work-life balance.

Consulting offers a variety of options for you to utilize your industry experience. Since I’ve been a consultant, getting to help clients in a variety of ways gives me a sense of freedom that I’ve never felt before. It’s very freeing to not always do the same thing all the time. This variety adds some balance to your work day and allows you some time to focus on your professional growth.

What are some specific ways that Bridgepoint Consulting offers work-life balance?

While supporting the client’s need is always priority number one, maintaining a reasonable workload for its employees is priority “1a” at Bridgepoint. Avoiding the burnout (that often comes with industry roles that have an expectation of 50-60 hours work weeks – not the expectation at Bridgepoint), is a key advantage for the team. One way that Bridgepoint Consulting supports work-life balance among their consultants, is by supporting them at the client level. Some clients need more, some clients needless, which is why you’ll always be able to discuss what options are best for the client and you. For example, a client may need you to work one Saturday a month, but that same client may allow you to swap Friday and Saturday, so you’re not working more than 40 hours a week. The point is finding the right balance for all.

Bridgepoint Consulting also offers the option of working for multiple clients, for a certain number of hours per week. So, if you’re the type that likes variety, that’s another option for you to achieve balance.

Another way that Bridgepoint Consulting supports work-life balance among their consultants is to provide many activities and opportunities for growth outside of the client experience. While you are learning and growing at your client, you also have the option to participate in mentoring or career path programs that focus on your goals and growth.

Bridgepoint Consulting is dedicated to the constant improvement of the employee experience. In fact, we even have an Employee Experience Manager, who is focused on your journey with Bridgepoint Consulting. This focus allows Bridgepoint to attract top talent and top clients, improving the organization at all levels.

Thank you for your time today, Julia.

When will you achieve work-life balance?

  • If you are humble, hungry, and smart.
  • If you are looking for a career change.
  • If you wish for a company that invests in your desire to grow.
  • If you want to work with one of the best teams in the country.
  • If you are looking to make an impact.

Ready to join #TeamBridgepoint?

Interested in a consulting career or learning how you can transfer your field skills to consulting work? Check out our open positions and learn more about our people here or get in touch with a member of our team.

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As Director of Talent Acquisition, Jill works closely with candidates seeking consulting positions within our Finance and Accounting practice. Jill places equal priority on providing a positive candidate experience throughout the interview process and presenting only top talent to her hiring team.