It can feel impossible to fit in hobbies or personal interests amid a never-ending to-do list. Yet
The company offers a passion project program — employees who have worked at the firm for at least a year are eligible for $1,000 and three days of PTO to pursue an interest or hobby outside of work. Employees then present their projects to the team, inviting the staff to learn about something new and get to know each other on a more personal level.
Sarah Haberman, who co-founded the company with her husband Fred, says the company has always facilitated an environment of
"We know that great things happen when people are engaged with their passions for good, both personally and professionally," she says. "It's a beautiful thing when you can allow people the opportunity to dig into their passions, and then share it back with the agency. You just never know what might happen."
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The company has sponsored these passion projects with the stipend and PTO since 2010 — during that time, employees have pursued projects that have even led to career changes. Haberman shares that one employee took a course in prenatal yoga, which led her to a new passion for maternal health in underserved communities. She eventually left the company to
Haberman says that while losing an employee to their passion project is a potential risk, the rewards of fostering a supportive work environment are far more important — and a foundational piece of their company culture.
"One of our values is humanity — we recognize people are first human beings and second, employees. That culture is so important," she says. "Experiential learning is just really how we've lived our lives. We feel strongly that by investing in people's passions and their ability to learn, we want people to walk out of Haberman being a better human being. I can hang my hat on that."
Jeff Berg has worked at Haberman for eight years and is taking advantage of the program to bring his passion for ultra-running to a wider audience. He'll be shooting a documentary called "
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"I thought about this project for about a year, and so all summer long, I'm going to be chasing them around the woods, going to races and seeing all the disgusting and beautiful things that happen," Berg says. "The hope is that this is the thing that brings the community back together after COVID."
While Berg will need more than three days off to pursue his project, the support he's received from Haberman has
"If you're feeling comfortable and you feel like everything's all good, you're probably not pushing yourself enough. You're probably not in a learning mind state," Berg says. "When I pitched this idea, I said, 'I don't know what I'm doing, I'm going to figure it out.' It's all new skills that are going to completely change my outlook on the world when I'm done. It refills the tank in a really interesting way "
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Berg says he also sees an opportunity to find new clients for Haberman as he meets people during his project. While the excitement of the project can be all-consuming, he says he feels comfortable sharing this part of himself at work, because his bosses set this standard.
"Fred and Sarah live a life with full transparency and you can't fake that," Berg says. "That allows the culture to work in that manner of being transparent. You feel safe and are ready to reveal and bring your whole self to work."
Haberman says it's bad business to limit an employee's interests, and in pursuing those interests herself, it's made her a better leader. She's currently starting a new passion project that she hopes will benefit her team — becoming a breathwork facilitator.
"Leading by example is so important and recognizing that everyone has gifts to contribute, we all benefit," she says. "I cannot underestimate how important that is for the culture in an organization. And there's momentum when people start sharing."
