London Associate Consultant and Parents@LEK member Tom Adeyemi tells us about his experience balancing work and family life as a parent of three children under 6.
Tell us about yourself and how you came to be at L.E.K.
I am from the UK, where I live with my wife and our three young children. I joined L.E.K.’s London office as an Associate in July 2021 after a 10+ year career as a professional footballer, during which I studied for a biology degree at the Open University. In my current role as an Associate Consultant in L.E.K.’s European Life Sciences practice, I work on a range of due diligence and strategy projects for private equity and industry clients.
How do you balance family obligations and meeting important deadlines as an Associate?
We all know that consulting is a demanding career, and when I initially joined L.E.K., I was wondering how I would manage it. But I was positively surprised to work with such supportive team members. I have often been involved in very busy projects, which are time-demanding and sometimes tricky to balance with family life. However, my teammates have always been understanding when last-minute family commitments arise, and they know I will return the favor whenever they need help.
How does L.E.K. support your work/family life?
L.E.K. offers the flexibility I need to balance my work and family life. I can split my time between working in the office and working from home, and I can be a bit more flexible with my hours if needed. For example, I can step away to have dinner with my kids and pick up my work afterward. It’s also important to highlight that at L.E.K., weekend work is extremely rare, so this is guaranteed quality time to spend with my family. This helps me really focus on my work during the week. L.E.K. is also respectful of holidays and annual leave, so this is also protected family time, with no expectation of being connected or checking emails.
Can you share a few words on the employee resource group Parents@LEK?
L.E.K. launched Parents@LEK in Europe, and I find it very useful to hear from a group of people who share similar experiences. While it is quite rare to have more junior staff members with children, the group has allowed me to realize that I am not the only one, even within my sector. It’s great to learn how other parents in the firm are successfully balancing work and family commitments.
Could you give us your top tip for balancing work and family life in the consulting sector?
The most important tip is communication. Communicate with your team; make sure they know your situation so they understand if a time comes when you need to put your family first. I fell into the trap at the beginning. I was not mentioning things and was trying to take everything on myself, but it’s better for everybody if you communicate early. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when needed!