Flexibility Pays Off For Employees, Employers and Society.
A recent encounter spurred the topic for one of my recent #ThursdayThoughts on LinkedIn: representation in the workplace.
It’s a personal story that connects to headlines, policies and the responsibility of corporate leaders.
THON and Perspective Through the Eyes of Young Women
My story begins with the world’s largest student-run philanthropy – Penn State Dance Marathon!💙 (THON)
This year, they raised 18.8 million dollars that went to the Four Diamonds Fund, a non-profit organization that supports child cancer patients and families at the Penn State Health Children’s Hospital by covering 100% of medical bills not covered by insurance. It also funds innovative research, pediatric specialists and comprehensive care for families in need. It is famously supported by THON and makes me so proud to be a Penn Stater!
I attended this year in 3 roles: a mom, an alumna, and a donor. I have supported the event’s fundraising efforts for decades and, in recent years, Jill Helmer Consulting has become a donor to the Four Diamonds Fund.
As a result, I’m part of the THON Giving Society, and as I was checking in to go onto the floor, I met a young undergraduate who introduced herself and said, “I’m the one who’s been sending you emails!”
She went on to let me know that she thought it was “really cool” that she got to put a face with the emails, and that I was Jill Helmer and run Jill Helmer Consulting! Next, she and her peer spent some time asking me about my business, my career and my professional journey.
Workplace Flexibility Is a Win-Win-Win
During (and after) that experience, I reflected on the story I was telling these young women. Perhaps they saw possibilities for themselves or a version of themselves in the future.
After I got home, I kept hearing sound bytes here and there about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and how the program has been put to rest, from a federal government perspective. I know this is complicated territory, especially if your business has government contracts or benefits from government funding.
But I was reminded of how fortunate I had been that my employer provided and was wholly supportive of a flexible work arrangement when I was a working mom. And without that, my trajectory in life, my business … and then my company’s participation as a donor would not have happened.
So while adjustments are made and programs are changed or canceled, I want to urge leaders not to throw the DEI baby out with the bathwater or dismiss representation. Flexible work schedules, work-at-home and other programs, for example, make it possible for parents (men and women), those with disabilities, and so many others to perform and contribute to organizations. Representation also makes it possible to recruit and retain top talent. This benefits employers, employees, and society.
A Big Thank You to Air Products
I also want to say thank you, again, to my employer of 16 years, Air Products, for the policies that allowed my career to grow while I raised my family. That, in turn, made Jill Helmer Consulting possible … and my company’s donations to an incredible cause possible.
