Meet Rachel: How the lockdown brought new perspective

  • Life at Now
  • Careers
  • 2021
  • Rachel Phillips
January 29, 2021

employee workflow solutions help remote employees stay safe 

Having worked in the software industry for over 20 years, I’ve experienced many different “phases" of my career—but the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown has clearly been an unforgettable one. While lockdown has been unlike anything we’ve had to deal with before, for me, it has been the great equalizer I never knew I needed.


A new support network

In 2018, I made the decision to join ServiceNow. I wanted to work within an organization that shared my ambition to grow and make an impact. Yet, while I was on gardening leave, my husband became ill and passed away. 

This was a very hard time for me and my children. It was vital that we found time together to grieve and adapt to our unexpected situation, but I also had to find a way to balance this with my career. Yet at work, I hadn’t even experienced ‘day one’ yet.

I shouldn’t have worried. ServiceNow was incredibly supportive and the values of the company shone through even as a very new employee. The company’s ethos of making work, work better for people resonated with me from the start and I was given everything I needed to make it work for me and my family.

Within a year, I was promoted to senior sales director, overseeing four teams. I worked hard for this, but the culture of ServiceNow was key to my career progression. 

The lockdown revelation

While working from home due to the enforced lockdown in the UK brought yet another big and immediate change, for me it was a revelation. 

I realized that I’d been in an almost robotic routine of sorting my kids out and going to work. I hadn’t had a moment to myself for years.

Lockdown has forced everyone to mix their lives, to combine their working priorities and challenges with those of their home lives. The day is no longer set in its usual routine but collides with family routines and home responsibilities. 

For me, it’s levelled the playing field. The anxiety I’ve felt about being the one who stands out—the one who has to leave early, who can’t stay for drinks, who can’t join in—has gone. 

Suddenly, everyone is worrying about the same things—like how to manage that tricky meeting from home or take a call while navigating the needs of a teenager.

Now, I’m very conscious that I don’t want this to change. I don’t want to lose this new-found feeling.

The next phase

I’ve chosen to embrace the many positives that have emerged from the COVID-19 crisis, just as I have had to in my own life before.

I have a job that challenges and fulfils me. My kids are doing well, and I have a supportive employer and position which allows me to create a balance between my work and my family.

Whatever happens next, I am determined not to allow what I have learned and experienced fizzle away. I really believe we must challenge the status quo on how we work and take the opportunity to make lasting, positive changes. 

To learn more check out our careers

 

© 2021 ServiceNow, Inc. All rights reserved. ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other company names, product names, and logos may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

 

Topics

  • Future of low-code: female working on laptop
    Application Development
    5 trends driving the future of low-code
    Adopting low-code technologies can help businesses create purpose-rich careers for their employees. Find out five key trends driving the future of low-code.
  • ServiceNow Scholarship for diversity in tech: college students gathered around a laptop
    Careers
    Introducing the ServiceNow Scholarship to promote diversity in tech
    The ServiceNow Scholarship fund demonstrates ServiceNow’s deep dedication to supporting underserved students and building a more diverse tech industry.
  • 3 boomerang employees who returned to ServiceNow
    Careers
    Returning to ServiceNow: Insights from 3 boomerang employees
    Watch as three boomerang employees share their stories about why they came back to ServiceNow and how they’re excelling both personally and professionally.

Trends & Research

  • RPA: group of workers gathered around a conference table looking at a laptop
    AI and Automation
    Forrester report: ServiceNow debuts as a Strong Performer in RPA
  • #1 in ITSM, AIOps and IT Operations Market Share: Organizations around the world count on ServiceNow in times of change.
    IT Management
    ServiceNow is No. 1 for AIOps, IT operations, and IT service management categories by market share
  • ESG technology: green surrounding a river, woman smiling, 2 government employees in conversation
    Cybersecurity and Risk
    Survey says ESG technology drives results

Year