Ernst & Young partner Jamie Simpson takes the role of mentor to new levels in her practice and her office, in Detroit. Her passion comes from her own experience, when as a staff member the medical needs of her first child led her to have a tough discussion with her male leader: Jamie needed to resign.

Instead of letting Jamie walk out the door, her leader and others convinced her to create an arrangement that would see her through those tough days — a move that kept her career going forward and eventually resulted in her promotion to partner.

Jamie has taken that experience to heart and is now passionate about helping other working mothers, including those who may also feel like throwing in the towel. She helped found Ernst & Young’s Working Parents Network in Detroit and went on to become its partner sponsor. And she is widely known for her availability for routine or urgent mentoring. 

“Jamie is my go-to person in the client-service ranks for reaching out to both current working mothers and those considering starting a family and wondering if they can truly succeed as both a professional and as a Mom,” says an HR professional in the Detroit office. “She is a mentor not only in her practice, but across other practices and offices in the region.” 

Jamie urges women to remember they are seeking a career and not just a job and has been known to help put together strategies for the situations of specific individuals. “I really believe in the concept from Gallup of having a best friend at work,” says Jamie. “I see women who sometimes just need someone to help look out for them. It can make a huge difference.”

If you’re surrounded by talented people, it makes sense to seek their advice on work life matters, which is what the female employees of this professional services firm often do. Meeting at the discussion forums, book clubs, lectures, dinners and outings hosted by the firm’s more than 70 U.S. professional women’s networks, they share their goals, hopes and challenges, forging key relationships. If they have a question about how to achieve balance, they can turn to the firm’s affinity groups for working moms, parents and those raising kids with special needs. And if their teens are going through rocky times, they can ask its employee assistance program to arrange counseling or join a dedicated online support group.

Global CEO & Chairman James S. Turley

Americas Vice Chair, People Nancy Altobello

Women managers/execs 43% 

Women among top earners 34% 

Women hires in 2010 43% 

Average weeks of fully paid maternity leave offered 14 

Allows new moms to “phase back” into work with reduced hours? Yes

Offers affinity group for new mothers? Yes

Offers backup childcare? Yes

Employees working flexibly 95%

50% of senior managers are women

The Career Watch program offered by this professional services firm helps women become partners by outlining the steps they need to take to move up and what to focus on next. Once they’ve made that leap, women become eligible for the Inclusiveness Leadership program, which provides mentoring from external coaches and executive board members. Close monitoring allows high-potential women to be exposed to key clients.

Global Chairman & Ceo James S. Turley

Americas Inclusiveness Officer Billie Williamson

50% of employees are women

54% of managers are women

50% of senior managers are women

32% of corporate executives are women

50% of recent promotions to manager, senior manager or corporate executive have gone to women

36% of top earners are women

100% of women participate in mentoring

75% of women participate in networking

22% of women participate in sponsorship programs

90% of women participate in leadership development programs

Offers women’s task force? Yes

Ernst & Young’s new Inclusiveness Leadership program provides its high-performing women with formal mentoring, coaching and development plans.

With 75% of its employees working out of client offices, this professional services firm offers scheduling freedom to those who pursue it. For parents, telecommuting and flextime are de rigueur, and at least 11% of workers use a formal flex arrangement. To enhance their freedom, the firm just installed iPass software on all employee laptops, providing a free connection to the intranet from anywhere–even the playground. Spreading the word that it's possible to advance while raising kids are partners and senior managers on reduced schedules, who travel within their business units sharing stories of success. Women are glad to hear it, especially since they now make up 38% of new partner promotions. Full-time salaried employees receive at least three paid weeks of vacation and three paid personal days; after a birth, women receive 22 job-guaranteed weeks off, with full pay for 14 weeks.

Global Chairman & CEO James S. Turley

Americas Inclusiveness Officer Billie Williamson

Women managers, senior managers and corporate execs 44%

Women among top earners 36%

Women on board of directors 26%

Women corporate executive hires in 2009 24%

Women participating in management or leadership training in the past year* 90%

Women participating in formalized executive succession planning last year* 16%

Women promoted last year who utilized a formal flexible work arrangement 7%

Do formal compensation policies reward managers who help women advance? Yes

*Percentages reflect number of women participants versus company’s total female workforce.

$400 is the annual subsidy for backup dependent care Ernst & Young introduced last year.

More women are promoted to partner at this New York City–based financial services firm than at any of the other Big Four, and it’s easy to see why: High-performing employees in each business unit are assigned to top clients and projects by the Career Watch program, which seeks out female candidates to fill the executive pipeline. Once promoted, women can take the Pathway to Meaningful Partnership course (led by female executives and coaches) to improve their communication, presentation and sales skills. The course also outlines what’s expected of them business-wise. Women’s PLAN, a three-year career development program, then links participants with a job coach and an executive-board mentor to ensure greater success. All told, 96% of the women in top positions here came from within the firm.

Chairman & CEO: Jim Turley

Americas Inclusiveness Officer: Billie Williamson

Women managers/execs: 44%

Women among top earners: 30%

Women on board of directors: 20%

Women corporate executive hires in 2008: 26%

Women participating in management or leadership training in the past year: 90%

Women participating in formalized executive succession planning last year: 30%

Women promoted last year who utilized a formal flexible work arrangement: 10%

Formal compensation policies reward managers who help women advance: Yes

Every 18 months, Ernst & Young hosts leadership conferences for female and multicultural executives.

For multicultural employees of this financial services firm, mentoring and coaching are truly a way of life.  To help female staffers and employees of color develop their professional skills, E&Y’s Americas Accounts Rotation Committee places them in positions that will give them the experience to qualify for more challenging jobs down the road. To ensure that they receive ample opportunities, its guiding team of senior executives scans the committee’s ranks when filling partner rotations on major accounts. And with the assistance of the Executive Mentoring and Career Watch programs, multicultural staffers get corporate coaching and are notified when high-profile gigs become available. The whole process speeds up when employees are considered potential partner or principal material, so talented candidates can be sure they will get on the fast track. 

Multicultural Women: 17%

Multicultural Women Managers/Execs: 13%

Chief Diversity Officer: Billie Williamson

Hires who are multicultural women: 20%

Hires who are multicultural men: 16%

Multicultural women managers/execs: 13%

Multicultural men managers/execs: 13%

Top 20% earners who are multicultural women: 8%

Top 20% earners who are multicultural men: 12%

Multicultural women on board of directors: 0%

Offers formal compensation program to reward managers who specifically help multicultural women advance: NO

Rates managers on the number of multicultural women employees advancing: YES

Uses outside recruiter to focus on finding multicultural women candidates: YES

Offers support groups specifically for multicultural women: YES

Offers mentoring programs specifically geared toward multicultural women early in their careers: YES

Offers sponsorship program specifically geared toward multicultural women early in their careers: YES