"Having It All" Through Employer-Supported Work-Life Balance

By Christie Petrone, Senior Manager, Public Relations

The dust has barely settled on Anne-Marie Slaughter’s controversial article about the difficulty of balancing family and career. Central to her argument is the idea that “having it all” requires job flexibility for both men and women.

(While things like flexible hours, telecommuting options, compressed workweeks and family friendly work environments may seem like a luxury to many, Glassdoor.com recently identified the top 25 companies for work-life balance, based on self-reporting from employees.)

Not only does the Ms. Foundation advocate for policies promoting work-life balance and other benefits, but we also practice what we preach, with generous paid time off and sick leave.

More than a policy, it’s an office culture that makes a difference in the lives of Ms. employees, who are able to achieve greatness in the workplace while also raising children (or cultivating a hobby or snuggling with their cats every evening). Women shouldn’t have to make a choice between advancing up the career ladder and being home to tuck their children in bed.

With President and CEO Anika Rahman – mother to 8-year-old Amani – leading the way, employees feel a stronger commitment to the Ms. Foundation for supporting their healthy balance of work and life. That commitment translates into better responsiveness – our social media guru often Tweets late into the night from the comfort of her bed – and a greater urgency from all departments in ensuring that all women have access to quality, living-wage jobs with paid leave, flexibility and other benefits that make “having it all” possible.

Now, excuse me while I pick up my daughter from daycare; my boss knows that I take all of my responsibilities very seriously.