How a C-Level Sabbatical Encourages Team Growth

PayNorthwest Chief Operating Officer Lori Brown has been in the payroll industry for more than a decade, and her deep knowledge and experience in the payroll space make her an invaluable asset to the team around her. Even as PayNorthwest went through periods of high growth – 198% between 2015 and 2018 – our COO Lori was deeply involved with the hour-to-hour business of providing our clients with outstanding software and services that helps them manage their workforces.

Then Lori took eight weeks off.

And not just the, “I’m away from the office but you can call me,” type of off. Off off. Lori spent six weeks on sabbatical in Hawaii, pursuing personal fitness goals, spending time with her children on the beach, and finishing beautiful quilts – a longtime passion of hers. While she was away, the Client Services team that Lori helped build, along with PayNorthwest’s Product and Executive teams, stepped up to the plate, taking on all of her critical day-to-day duties.

The result? The team learned that it is self-sustaining. This created managers that are more self-sufficient, clearing Lori’s plate upon her return to focus on the business’s future.

Now that Lori is back from her sabbatical, she’s of course still available to lend her extensive knowledge of cloud-based HCM solutions to anyone who needs it, but she’s also keeping her eyes farther down the road, focusing on how PayNorthwest will continue to be the best solution for mid-size and growing companies looking for payroll, HR, and time and labor software and services.