Happier as Mother & Wife through Sharing a Job

The two worked in that position for six years, until their department was dissolved following a company merger. After some time off, Murray and Cunningham tackled their job hunt as a team. It wasn’t easy: some executive search firms dismissed them as “parttimers,” and several prospective managers were intimidated by the arrangement. “It was exhausting because every time you picked up the phone you had to explain that it wasn’t just Shelley Murray looking for a job. It was the two of us,” Murray recalls. Every time they won an audience with a potential employer, the duo was quick to sell the benefits of a shared arrangement: no burnout, and 100 percent focus in the office.

A year later, they landed a position at Eastern Bank where they serve as vice president and business development officers. Now, Murray buys milk whenever she pleases. In addition to having more time for their families and for themselves, they have the freedom to give back to their communities. “The most profound change for me was to be both a mom and an executive, and to be able to ‘be present’ at both,” says Cunningham. “I can’t imagine any other way to live.”