Renegotiating the contract between workers and employers in hiring

#MondayMindset Every career has invisible trade-offs. I came across a post bu Parul Mehta Bhargava 🚀 this morning, and it made me think about how often we admire the outcome without seeing what came with it. “She’s co-founded a company with her husband.” "He became a manager so quickly." "She left her job to start a business." "He's working remotely and travelling the world." What we rarely admire are the trade-offs that came with those decisions. A bigger title comes after years of of persistent hard work. Leading a team means carrying responsibilities that don't end when the workday does. Running a business gives you freedom, but also uncertainty. Working remotely offers flexibility, but for many, it also brings loneliness. Every career gives you something. Every career asks for something in return. The problem isn't that we compare ourselves to others. The problem is that we compare our reality with someone else's rewards, without seeing the price they paid to get there. So instead of asking yourself, "Why don't I have what they have?" Ask yourself, "Would I be willing to accept the trade-offs that come with it?" Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes it's no. And both are perfectly okay! Because choosing a career isn't just about choosing what you want to gain. It's also about choosing what you're willing to give up. What's one trade-off you've consciously accepted in your career? #CareerGrowth #WorkLife #WomenOnMarketing

As I get closer to the end of my parental leave, I'm starting to think about my return to work later this year—and I'm genuinely excited 🥳 I've been incredibly grateful for the opportunity to spend this time with my family and watch my two little ones grow. At the same time, I've realised how much I've missed the things I loved about my career: solving problems, collaborating with brilliant people, building processes, and helping customers achieve their goals. Before my career break, I spent over 8 years working in SaaS onboarding and implementation, partnering with enterprise customers, leading complex onboarding programmes, and helping organisations scale through better processes and customer experiences. I'm looking forward to bringing that experience, along with a fresh perspective, into my next role. For those of you who have returned to work after parental leave, I'd love to get your advice. - What helped make the transition back successful? - What do you wish you'd known beforehand? - And if you're a hiring manager, what have you seen work well when supporting parents returning to the workplace? I'm excited about what's next and looking forward to reconnecting with the SaaS and customer success community. #ReturnToWork #ParentalLeave #WorkingParents #CustomerSuccess #SaaS #Implementation #Onboarding

As I turn forty-seven it strikes me as a type of mid-career crisis that my age group is certainly rare in the tech industry. Do I regret any of the choices which have brought me to this place? Some, sure, but overall no. Tech has allowed me to work on truly interesting things while still being there for my loved ones through the tribulations of life. It is both flexible and lucrative in ways I don’t see in other lines of work. So whether you are an intern just starting, an exec leading the way, or an “old man” here to help others this trip is worth taking.

💭 Getting laid off gave me something I hadn’t had in years. Time to think. It made me realize how much of our lives is spent moving from one task to the next, with very little space to question, reflect, or build something outside of work. Maybe the biggest thing we’re running out of isn’t talent. Maybe it’s uninterrupted time. Has having more free time ever changed the way you think? #FutureOfWork #KnowledgeWork #Technology #Innovation #CareerGrowth

My only advice to young workforce of today: good things take time to compound. I know this might be controversial, so hear me out. When I interview candidates, many look at my career today the companies I’ve worked at, the startup I’m building, the investments I’ve made—and assume it all happened because I made the “right” decisions at the “right” time. It didn’t feel that way when I was living through it. Most days were messy. Chaotic. Uncertain. There were countless moments when I wanted to quit. The only difference is… I didn’t. Sometimes because I believed. Sometimes simply because I didn’t have another option. Take my time at #Freshworks. I’d already changed three companies before joining. I knew this was probably my last chance to stop hopping around and actually build something meaningful. So I stayed. Was every day exciting? No. Did every year feel rewarding? Also no. But over time, the experience compounded. The relationships compounded. The credibility compounded. The opportunities compounded. Looking back, people see the outcome. They rarely see the years it took to get there. I’m not saying you should stay in every company. Sometimes leaving is absolutely the right decision. But if you’re learning, surrounded by good people, and the direction feels right, don’t underestimate the power of staying long enough for your efforts to compound. The world today rewards speed. Social media celebrates overnight success. AI makes everything feel instant. But some things still refuse to be rushed. Trust. Reputation. Craft. Judgment. These are earned one ordinary day at a time. Keep showing up. Keep learning. Keep building. One day, someone will call you an “overnight success.” You’ll know it took a decade.

Do we actually need a new hire? As a self-funded SaaS company, every growth decision has to earn its place. Last week, we welcomed a few new interns. We're excited to have their fresh energy and ideas on the team. Every week, we challenge ourselves with the same questions. Should we hire another team member? Can AI help us do more with the team we already have? Are our tools creating leverage—or just adding cost? Which investment will make the biggest difference for our customers? How do we grow faster without losing financial discipline? This week, one question stood out. Do we actually need a new hire? Hiring is an investment, not just an expense. Before we open a new role, we pause and ask: Is this workload temporary or long-term? Can we improve the process first? Can AI or automation help? Will this role create measurable value for our customers and for the business? Sometimes the right move is to hire. Sometimes the better move is to give the team we already have better processes and smarter tools. Leadership isn't about saying "yes" to every opportunity. It's about asking the right questions before making the next move. What's the toughest growth decision you're facing right now? #CFO #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #SaaS #FinanceLeadership #Centizen #ZenBasket

Building a SaaS company requires more than speed. It requires systems, automation, and disciplined execution that create real customer value. #ZenBasket #SaaS #Automation #ProductGrowth #AI

The best growth decisions are intentional. Strong teams, better processes, and scalable systems create long-term business value. #Centizen #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #TalentStrategy #TechnologyServices

Laid off at 24, rethinking success: Why one former Meta employee believes AI is reshaping careers faster than expected Why a former Meta data scientist believes AI is changing the future of careers. (Photo: LinkedIn) For a generation that grew up believing a job at a tech giant was the ultimate career milestone, the rules of success appear to be changing. The rise of artificial intelligence is not only transforming industries but also forcing young professionals to reconsider what job security, growth and long-term career planning really mean.For 24-year-old Moyan Chen, that realization came sooner than expected....

Part 2 - (Does a part 2 have to stop there)? From my last post, there is another layer to my CLPeasy story. When I look back, I wish I had known earlier that this kind of work even existed — or that I could have seen myself in it. Growing up and starting out in work, I didn’t always have the confidence or exposure to tech environments, especially in spaces where it often felt like a “man’s world.” I genuinely didn’t even know what job title would lead into the kind of role I’ve now built for myself. My early working life looked very different — part-time jobs from 17 onwards, including bar work, cleaning pub toilets, checkout work and anything that kept things moving forward. At 18, I was even turned down for a job centre role as a forklift truck driver because “it isn’t a woman’s world.” Ironically, one of the roles that did give me a break was working around vending machines — which eventually led me into a doorway I never expected: joining a major blue-chip tech environment through a helpdesk path at a large organisation Computacenter . That step changed everything. It showed me that tech wasn’t just for a certain type of person — it was something you could grow into, even if you didn’t start in the “usual” place. Would you be interested in hearing the full journey from my entry-level roles to tech founder? I’m considering sharing more of my journey — from starting work at 17, to being told at 18 that certain jobs “weren’t for women,” to eventually stepping into where I am today. It’s been a long, non-linear path — and I’m wondering if people would find value in hearing the full story as I build CLPeasy in public. Would you be interested? Poll options: * Yes — I love career transformation stories - especially from non-traditional backgrounds * Maybe — depends how it’s told * No — not really my thing If I could add one more thought, it would be this: If you’re building something quietly in the background — doubting it, questioning it, or feeling like you don’t quite belong in the space you’re stepping into — keep going. You’re further along than you think. And sometimes the best things are built while you’re still figuring out how to swim. #CareerJourney #WomenInTech #TechCareers #CareerChange #NonLinearCareer