Today is Military Spouse Appreciation Day, and it’s the perfect time to celebrate and recognize military spouses and their families for their sacrifices on behalf of our nation and its defense. At TCDI, we’re exceptionally proud of our Military Spouse Managed Review (MSMR) program.
Every day for the past five years, we’ve been deliberate in ensuring that at least a third of our workforce is comprised of military spouses and veterans. We’ve had tremendous success in retaining military talent, mainly because our work can be done remotely — and if you are familiar with military life, you know how important that can be. Offering military spouses flexible, remote work that can be done from isolated bases and locales has not only been key to TCDI’s business success, but it also provides job security and financial consistency for members of our dedicated team who are always on the move.
Supporting Through the Moves
My colleague Meredith and her (Army) family of four are in the process of relocating to El Paso, Texas, by way of Kailua, Hawaii, and San Antonio, Texas. Her family’s three PCS’s (or permanent changes of station) have all occurred since she joined the TCDI team in 2018. Meredith remains one of our most important and reliable assets.
In that same timeframe, my colleague Jenn, who was TCDI’s first military spouse attorney (and the company’s inspiration for starting the MSMR program), has PCS’d with her husband David via the Army three times. Between all of those moves and becoming a mother of two, Jenn has still managed to excel in her career, notably becoming a Vice President within the company.
From our perspective, the frequent relocation of these strong, intelligent professionals has been a non-event in the workplace. While TCDI has made military relocation easy for our team members, the complexity of frequent moves can be far more difficult at home. Finding a new place to live, packing up, changing schools, seeking new medical providers, moving pets, and so much more is involved each and every time a military family PCSs. All of it is daunting.
Thankfully, neither Meredith nor Jenn had to worry about finding a new job, re-licensing, establishing a track record, or navigating new professional relationships after a move. Each was able to take the personal time they needed and then re-engage when they were settled. We’re fortunate that our business model accommodates – and even thrives – as a result of these dynamics. We have the utmost admiration and respect for our many team members who share the experience of nomadic military family life.
Supporting New Opportunities
Even when employees decide to pursue new opportunities, they still sing TCDI’s praises and are thankful for the opportunities MSMR has given them. Just this week, I received the following from one of our consultants in Georgia, who has been with us since 2020.
“I appreciate you all and this team and what you have done for me and for military spouses more than you could ever know. I am so grateful for you all and the opportunity to work with you always, especially when my mother was sick this year and I had to be out often for her appointments. TCDI truly is a model company that is a joy to work with and has always treated employees and consultants with the utmost respect. I wish more offices were like you all! That being said, I am braving it to go back into my calling of government service. I will be returning to the District Attorney’s Office full time starting next month. I have been called to help prosecute crime in my hometown community but I know I will carry the leadership lessons I learned at TCDI with me on my next career journey. You are the one job I have ever been sad to leave. You truly are the best! Thank you all so much!”
While losing a special colleague is difficult, receiving this note was heartwarming, to say the least. Messages like this are a testament to the reason MSMR came to be and serve as a reminder of the importance of doing all that we can to support our military families. Across the spectrum, from teammates receiving orders to relocate to those who need flexible hours while a spouse is deployed, it is an honor to walk with and support all of our military colleagues on the move.
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TCDI would like to wish a happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day to all military families! We are so thankful for our service members and their dedicated spouses who carry the burden of service with them daily. Your commitment and support on the home front inspires us all. Thank you for your sacrifice!
Janet Hamilton
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As Director of Legal Process, Janet oversees recruitment and business process development for TCDI’s Managed Review business line, including expansion and enhancement of TCDI’s MSMR (Military Spouse Managed Review) Program. Janet is a 27 year veteran of the legal services field, having spent most of those years in HR, leading attorney recruiting and practice development efforts for an AmLaw 100 firm. Janet was instrumental in launching, growing, and managing all operational aspects of their in-house eDiscovery practice, serving on the leadership team for 8 years, with oversight for vendor contracts, staffing, annual reviews, SOPs, client billing and accruals, project budgeting, profitability analysis, and execution of coast-to-coast project ramp-ups. Janet joined TCDI in 2019 as Director of Legal Process, overseeing recruitment and business process development for TCDI’s Managed Review business line, including expansion and enhancement of TCDI’s MSMR (Military Spouse Managed Review) Program.
