By: Karen Pallarito, Photo: Laura Bates from Marriott International
Too often top companies hear their best talent say, "I love my work, my clients, the company—I have to leave." Smart women positioned for the corporate fast track say goodbye to firms they adore every day because the benefits and perks aren't enough to help them in their personal quests, whether that's more time for Mommy and Me classes or finally getting that MBA degree. Designing innovative programs and improving upon the old standbys that help each employee in her pursuit of happiness is what these Hall of Fame companies are all about. They've earned a place on our 100 Best list for 15 years or more, and this year we induct two new honorees: Baptist Health South Florida and Genentech. The winners:
Allstate Insurance American ExpressBank of AmericaBaptist Health South FloridaCitiDuPontGenentechGlaxoSmithKlineHewlett-PackardIBM Johnson & JohnsonLincoln Financial GroupMarriott International Merck & Co.Northern Trust PatagoniaThe Phoenix CompaniesProcter & Gamble Prudential FinancialS.C. Johnson & Son
Here's what top female executives at our Hall of Fame companies say is the benefit that won them over.
ALLSTATE INSURANCE
Julie Parsons, 35
Assistant VP, Product Operations
Tenure: 14 years
Best Benefit: When Julie wonders how her daughter, Megan, is doing, she pops into Allstate's on-site day-care center to blow bubbles for a while.
"My husband and I both work at Allstate, and the on-site day-care center has made the biggest difference in balancing our home life with our careers. We take turns dropping off and picking up our daughter, Megan. When I first came back from maternity leave, she was twelve weeks old and still nursing. Rather than pump, I'd drop by the center every day and nurse her. Now the day-care center staff sends me daily emails with photos of the children playing, blowing bubbles, painting. Those emails help me stay connected to Megan during my workday."
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL
Laura Bates, 40
Senior VP, Extended-Stay Brand Management
Tenure: 8 years Best Benefit: Working from home on Fridays gives Laura enough wiggle room to make life more pleasurable.
"I have twins, a boy and girl, who were born a little over three years ago. I've been working at home on Fridays since then because it gives me an opportunity to focus on getting things done. It's thinking time and writing time. It's made me more efficient and productive. Plus, I can spend more time with my children in the morning. On a regular work-day, I might have an early meeting at eight, so I have to leave the house by seven-thirty. That cuts our time short, and it's rushed. To me there's something nice about the morning—everybody gets up and is a little bit sleepy, and it's a relaxed pace. We can have breakfast together and maybe read a book or play a game before I have to go to work. It's more like a real life, a real family."
NORTHERN TRUST
Bev Fleming, 49
Senior VP and Director
of Investor Relations
Tenure: 24 years
Best Benefit: A company-sponsored holiday kids' camp allows Bev to build special traditions with her son.
"Over holiday breaks, Northern Trust sponsors a kids' camp that my eight-year-old son, Drew, attends. He gets to see friends from his day-care center, and it gives my husband and me more vacation flexibility. My son and I have a tradition: We ride the train from the suburbs into Chicago, walk to my office and have breakfast before camp begins. Often, I'll pick him up from camp so that we can have lunch together, too. It's really nice to have so much connection with him during that time of year."
AMERICAN EXPRESS
Valerie Soranno Keating, 44
Executive VP, Global
Commercial Services
Tenure: 14 years Best Benefit: With the flexibility to set her own schedule, Valerie gets to enjoy many dinners at home with her 3-year-old twins.
"In any job that has broad responsibility, you sign up for long hours. What I appreciate most about American Express is the flexibility I have in scheduling those hours. If I'm not traveling or don't have a business event at night, I try to leave at five o'clock so I can spend time with my family—having dinner together, giving the kids their bath, putting them to bed. Then I can get a bit more work done afterward. When I'm not traveling, I occasionally work at home. And even though I'm at home, my kids understand that I still have a job to do. So when I'm on the phone they'll say, 'Mommy's at work. Shhh!'"
PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL
Missy Kilroy, 53
Managing Director, Pension Consulting, Prudential Investment Management
Tenure: 8 years Best Benefit: Where you work isn't as important as how well you work.
"When Prudential called me for an interview in 1999, I initially declined because I didn't want to spend extra time commuting to Newark, NJ, from New York. I explained that I was a mother first and foremost. Yet even before interviewing, the company guaranteed me an office in New York City and said I could work from my Long Island home during the summer. That flexibility is key because I can have a rewarding career and still be totally involved with my children."
DUPONT
Susan Stalnecker, 54
VP, Finance and Treasurer
Tenure: 30 years Best Benefit: At DuPont, cutting back on your hours doesn't mean cutting back on your advancement opportunities.
"In 1984, after giving birth to twins, I took a six-month maternity leave. But shortly after return-ing, I asked myself, Why am I doing this? I want to spend more time with my children. DuPont had no formal flexibility policy then, so I asked for a part-time position. I didn't have much faith that I'd get it because a colleague who'd made the same request a year earlier had been denied. But the VP at the time negotiated with human resources and made it happen. I publicized my flexibility because I wanted other women to take advantage of this new opportunity. Later, when I was offered a promotion, people realized that working a flexible schedule wouldn't derail your career."
GLAXOSMITHKLINE
Anne Whitaker, 40
VP and Business Unit Head, Critical and Supportive Care Division
Tenure: 15 years Best Benefit: GSK taught this marathoner that balance isn't gained by racing through life.
"As a marathon runner, I'd developed the mentality of 'pushing through.' And that's what I did at work, too: I'd try to push through all-day meetings, and at the end of the day I was exhausted. At home, I'd take work calls anytime, whether I was having dinner with my family or playing with my kids. About six years ago, I had a revelation. Thanks to a GSK training program, I learned that I wasn't living as if my family was the most important thing to me. The seminars taught me to reprioritize. Now I follow simple rituals that help me maintain balance in my life. On the way home from work, I put the cell phone away and mentally prepare to engage with my family. And I've given up the marathons. Now I do interval training."
BAPTIST HEALTH SOUTH FLORIDA
Ana Lopez-Blazquez, 49
Chief Strategic Officer
Tenure: 20 years Best Benefit: When Ana had to work a reduced schedule for a prolonged period to care for her child, her company stood by her.
"When my son was a toddler, he had a significant language delay that required fairly intensive therapy. I had to carve out two and a half hours of my workday, three times a week, to take him to speech therapy. I did that for a year and a half. The president of the organization was extremely supportive. It was an emotional time, and once I broke down in tears. He started crying with me. The message was always clear: 'You have invested in us; we are investing in you.'"
THE PHOENIX COMPANIES
Kathy Cody, 42
Senior VP, Alternative Products
Tenure: 13 years Best Benefit:
A flex schedule meant Kathy was conference-calling with an investment banker one minute and reading Stinky Socks the next.
"I've always made an effort to balance work and family, whether it's scaling back to fewer days or telecommuting. My children have great memories from when they were little, and so do I. I'll never forget when my daughter was two. I'd be up early on the phone with investment bankers, but when she woke up, I'd go sit with her and watch Barney. One day when I had a presentation to make, I ran out to read Stinky Socks to my daughter at school. When I returned to the office, people said, 'Kathy, you seem so much more relaxed!'"
MERCK & CO.
Louise Park Stejbach, 42
VP, Marketing
Tenure: 18 years Best benefit: On-site child care gave Louise the peace of mind to focus on marketing, not on missing her kids.
"If I could pick one program that has made the biggest impact on me and my entire family, it would be the on-site child-care center. Being able to see the building from my office was an emotional comfort because I could focus on my job and not have to worry about what was going on with my children. My kids loved going there, and they learned so much, which is probably a parent's biggest relief. One afternoon when my husband and I were at the center, the staff told us, 'Your daughter wants to show you something.' Then she walked across the entire room, fifteen or twenty steps! We were so excited—and a little bummed out that we had missed this first milestone, but it also felt like the center staff was part of the family."
S.C. JOHNSON & SON
Audrey Ditter, 45
VP of Finance, North America
Tenure: 16 years Best Benefit:
The chance to front-line a major international acquisition without having to leave home
meant Audrey catapulted her career and helped her son prep for college.
"I've been with the company for nearly sixteen years, and what's really helped me balance my life is flexibility. For three years, when my three sons were moving from full-time afterschool care to being on their own, I worked from home every Tuesday, and that helped ease their transition. The company's commitment to flexibility also allowed me to gain international experience—which is crucial for career advancement here—without having to move my family overseas. I worked on the front lines of a major international acquisition from our Racine, WI, headquarters. And that experience enabled me to advance my career while still being at home to attend my sons' soccer games and help my oldest prepare for college."
HEWLETT-PACKARD
Cindy Gion, 41
Finance Director
Tenure:
15 years Best Benefit: Job-sharing actually helped, rather than hindered, Cindy's career path.
"I'd never considered a job-share until my colleague Marie Zoppis called me the day before she delivered twins. That was in 2001. Since then, we've had three different jobs together, including two promotions. It's almost like a second marriage in the sense that the communication has to be very strong. It's hard to imagine what path my career might have taken if I hadn't job-shared, but I know I wouldn't choose to do the job I have today by myself. It would just take too much away from my family."
GENENTECH
Jennifer Cook, 42
VP, Product Portfolio Management
Tenure: 13 years Best Benefit: Jennifer received great advice from teachers
at the near-site child-care center—and key promotions while on maternity leave.
"My three-year-old and five-year-old sons have been attending the corporate child-care center since they were each six months old. I feel really comfortable in the course of my day because I know they're nearby and they're being well cared for. The teachers have been wonderful partners to me as a parent, and I've frequently asked for their advice on how to cope with a particular behavior. The choices I need to make to be there for my kids have never limited my performance at Genentech. I received two key promotions—each while I was on maternity leave!"
LINCOLN FINANCIAL GROUP
Nancy Briguglio, 51
Senior VP, Managing
General Agent, Relationship Management
Channel, Lincoln Financial Distributors
Tenure: 18 years Best Benefit: Nancy can work from home or on the train—making her Maryland-to-Philadelphia commute less of a hardship.
"A few years ago, I began to look at other opportunities within Lincoln. I wanted to work out of Philadelphia without relocating my family. The key was building in a flexible work schedule and maximizing use of technology. My family is based in Columbia, MD, so I take Amtrak. I can sit on the train and send emails or make phone calls. I have a BlackBerry, and I can log on to Lincoln's intranet from any computer. And I didn't have to disrupt my younger child's last few years of high school."
Click here to read more about the 2007 100 Best Companies
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