Operations manager Rebecca Boll joined GE five-plus years ago and has been an active mentor for the majority of that time. Several employees at GE Aviation and Global Research can point to Rebecca as their mentor.

Rebecca sees mentoring as a key retention tool. She firmly believes employees are more engaged and make better choices when they can talk through personal or work issues in a safe environment. She says that being a mentor is extremely rewarding, in particular when a mentee makes a decision that makes herself feel empowered or allows her to achieve something she may previously have thought impossible.

In 2011, Rebecca was nominated to be a mentor in a broader sense, to serve as the  co-chair of the Schenectady hub’s 1,200 member Womens’ Network.  In this role Rebecca is focused on increased outreach, expanding the Women In Technology Initiative to help retain technical women across GE, and working with human resources and business leaders to gain increased exposure and recognition for women members. 

Prior to Rebecca’s current role in the Womens’ Network Hub, she single-handedly started the Women In Commercial program in Schenectady. This program meets the needs of women interested in learning more about what it means to have a commercially focused career.

Rebecca is also an active single mother to three growing children. Nevertheless, when asked how she finds the time in her busy schedule to mentor others, says Rebecca, “Because it is the right thing to do, I will always have time for it.”

Educating employees in 1,061 locations is no easy feat, but this infrastructure, finance and media company has its bases covered. Moms attend its business school; participate in multiyear career programs in engineering, human resources, sales and other areas; and tap up to $5,000 in annual tuition aid. To feed into their growing appetite for knowledge, the GE Capital division recently launched Learning Week, an event with 164 classes, seminars and tutorials on topics as disparate as emotional intelligence and business writing. The company’s Women’s network designed its annual conference with enlightenment in mind, showing attendees how to improve their health, finances, careers and relationships. Parents pay for their kids’ educations by accessing the company’s 529 plans, higher-education loans and family scholarships.

Chairman & CEO Jeffrey Immelt

Senior VP, HR John Lynch

Women managers/execs 29% 

Women among top earners 23% 

Women hires in 2010 34% 

Average weeks of fully paid maternity leave offered 6 

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 75%

22% of corporate executives are women

Nurturing the growth of its talented female employees is a priority for this infrastructure, finance and media company, where women now represent 30% of the workforce. Armed with challenging work and training opportunities, and aligned with mentors, women hold a third of all management jobs and a quarter of all corporate executive positions. Many women also attend the John F. Welch Leadership Development Center, in Ossining, NY.

Chairman & Ceo Jeffrey Immelt  

Senior VP, HR John Lynch

30% of employees are women

30% of managers are women

24% of senior managers are women

22% of corporate executives are women

28% of recent promotions to manager, senior manager or corporate executive have gone to women

22% of top earners are women

7% of women participate in mentoring

Not tracked % of women participate in networking

0% of women participate in sponsorship programs

37% of women participate in leadership development programs

Offers women’s task force? Yes

General Electric loans employees up to $500 to help them through personal emergencies and grants them up to $5,000 after natural disasters.

To show employees that hard work and a healthy lifestyle aren't mutually exclusive, this infrastructure, finance and media company launched Health Ahead, its new global wellness program, last November. Now all company locations with more than 100 employees are being evaluated for their ability to promote physical and mental health and competing for the coveted "healthy worksite‚" designation. Offices have brought in yoga teachers and Ping-Pong tables and launched dance and weight loss contests; there's even a treadmill desk at headquarters. Employees who work 20 hours per week earn health insurance, and any one at risk for serious health problems (diabetes, heart trouble) is put in touch with lifestyle coaches and medical specialists. Maternity leave is six fully paid weeks; helping moms return to work are an on-site child-care center in Universal City, CA, a near-site center in Waukesha, WI, and a solid backup-care program.

Chairman & CEO Jeffrey Immelt

SVP, HR John Lynch

Women managers, senior managers and corporate execs 29%

Women among top earners 22%

Women on board of directors 25%

Women corporate executive hires in 2009 33%

Women participating in management or leadership training in the past year* 37%

Women participating in formalized executive succession planning last year* 2%

Women promoted last year who utilized a formal flexible work arrangement Not tracked  

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

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