Innholdsfortegnelse for February - March 2015 i Working Mother

Change is a given for working moms. Whether it’s our kid’s Wednesday afterschool course closing early (huh?) or anyone waking up sick on a weekday (ugh!) or getting an unexpected call from your mom in the middle of the day (oy), it’s enough to make you wish for boredom. At Working Mother, we’re masters of change. And this issue proves it. You’ll see that we’ve brought a new focus to work life satisfaction to our pages, a focus that will continue to sharpen as the year progresses. Also, our leadership has changed. With this issue, our founder and longtime fearless leader Carol Evans passes the baton to the smart and savvy Subha V. Barry (meet her below). Carol, who in 2001 became the first and only working mother to own…

We hope this isn’t you, but...70 percent of Americans report they’re unhappy at work. conversely, 70 percent of Danes say they’re happy—and Danes even have a word for job happiness: arbejdsglæde. impossible in the U.S.? not if we work at it, says Alexander Kjerulf, author of Happy Hour Is 9 to 5. how? Meet ’n’ Greet Studies show that greeting co-workers with a cheerful “good morning” has a hugely uplifting effect on an office environment—especially one with an open plan, where the norm is to just skulk to your desk and get down to business. it’s even more positive when managers take an a.m. tour to acknowledge their employees first thing. Kindness Rules Kjerulf recommends practicing random acts of workplace kindness—like bringing in a cup of coffee for a colleague…

These sexy ICU Eyewear Readers are not your grandma’s glasses. Eco-conscious (the line of some 30 styles is sourced from bamboo and recycled plastic) and super-hip (hello, lavender!), they’ll soon have you reading the fine print like a teenager (from $24, icueyewear.com). Pull the petite HTC RE Camera from your pocket, squeeze the grip to turn it on, then hit its solitary button to take pics or video. No viewfinder is required, because the 145-degree 16-megapixel lens will capture every bit of your next conference or the kids’ soccer game—even if you literally shoot from the hip ($200, recamera.com). You no doubt could use a few creature comforts if you often travel for work, and the luxe Parachute Travel Kit gives you three of them in one. Open the zippered…

Abbott Abbott Park, IL CHAIRMAN & CEO Miles D. White EXECUTIVE VP, HR Stephen Fussell For the past few years, female employees have been steadily increasing their visibility at this health care company, where they earned 50% of all promotions to the level of manager and above in 2014. They’ve also continued to make up nearly half of those taking part in the employer’s development programs, through which they strengthen their leadership skills and accrue insight into corporate strategy and decision-making. To further enhance their growth, they may access six employee networks, among them the Women Leaders in Action group, which just launched global mentoring circles and offers 130+ annual events. Accenture New York, NY CHAIRMAN & CEO Pierre Nanterme CHIEF HR OFFICER Ellyn Shook Change doesn’t happen by accident.…

Joanna Strober never imagined that she’d quit her full-time job, start her own company, raise $5.8 million in venture capital funding and build a mobile app. But about two years ago, the mom of three found herself in a parenting struggle that fueled a big idea. Her attempts to help her then 11-year-old son curb his diet and lose weight ended in tears—his and hers. Doctors offered little aid. She scoured the Web for resources but came up empty. “If you search ‘weight loss for kids,’ you find fat camps and bariatric surgery,” she says. “There were no tools, and all the articles just said, ‘Exercise more, eat less.’ I needed something more practical than that.” Brainstorm: What if she could create an app that helped kids and their families…

Even if you love your work, you’ve likely fantasized about quitting to stay home with your kids. In fact, 43 percent of working moms take a job leave at some point in their career, according to the Center for Talent Innovation (talentinnovation.org). But those who’ve done it know it carries an expensive price tag. Here are some very real costs—financial and otherwise—to consider before shutting the office door behind you. Your missing paycheck Income loss can obviously create a serious gap in your family’s financial plans, if you’re not careful. Reality check: One less paycheck will sting. Long term, you’ll draw less in Social Security benefits because you’ve paid less in taxes, notes Lili Vasileff, a certified financial planner in Greenwich, CT. On the other hand, you’ll shed some work-related…

The first few months of pregnancy are tough. This is partly because you suffer in silence, afraid to leak the news before the 12-week mark. It’s even tougher when you work in an office every day, trying to keep your status a secret from people who see you daily and always know when something is different about you. New haircut? They notice. Late night out? Yep, they want the details as soon as they spot your glassy red eyes and your ponytail. I’d suffered a few miscarriages, so my husband and I decided to keep our recent pregnancy to ourselves as long as possible. This proved difficult. I settled in at my desk one Monday morning, smugly thinking I was achieving secrecy quite well—until a friend, who happens to be…

Subha V. Barry is a longtime supporter of Working Mother through her work as a top diversity executive for Merrill Lynch and Freddie Mac. She joins Working Mother Media as vice president & general manager, overseeing our magazine and digital platforms, as well as Diversity Best Practices, the National Association for Female Executives and the Working Mother Research Institute. Jennifer: Subha, what attracted you to join Working Mother? Subha: Working Mother is an iconic brand with an incredibly important mission. It has not only earned a valued role in helping working moms navigate their complex lives, it also works to guide employers to evolve their best workplace practices, which help all employees. I love being able to speak to all sides of the work life equation. Jennifer: What was your aha moment…

How one Company is Getting Women to the top Sandi Peterson could have stuck with the status quo. after all, when it comes to promoting women, Johnson & Johnson’s track record was already pretty darn good. the new Brunswick, NJ–based company has been named to the NAFE top 50 companies for executive women eight times, making the top 10 this year and for three of the previous five years. Sandi, however, wasn’t satisfied. when she joined the company in 2012 as group worldwide chairman to run its $20 billion consumer business, she thought: How can this company go further to support women’s advancement? “we were making good progress, but given the pace of change, we needed to do more,” recalls the widowed mom of two adult sons. “talent should reflect…

JORDAN LLOYD BOOKEY Kids Cassius, 5, Florence, 2 Hometown Washington, DC Launched Zoobean (zoobean.com), which recommends books and mobile apps for parents Funding $1.15 million Best advice Surround yourself with other entrepreneurs. She joined a co-working space in Washington, DC, which helped her network with local investors. “It costs more than a coffee shop or your living room, but we met a lot of great people and got to know the scene.” Favorite resource Women 2.0 Through a series of online hangouts organized by Women 2.0, Jordan met other female founders and had the chance to ask more-experienced entrepreneurs candid questions. Since then, group members have helped promote one another’s start-ups and make new connections. CONNIE BOSSERT Kids Anna, 7, Jamie, 6 Hometown Raleigh, NC Launched Fairlady Media (fairladymedia.com), maker…

Workingmother.com and our social media channels are bursting with even more tips, ideas and personal stories of always-real working moms. Here's a preview of what's on tap for this spring. National Multiple Scleroisis Awareness Week March 2–8 Working Mother Research Institute and Novartis, along with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, release Women and MS: The Working Mother Report, an important new study covering the disease's impact on women's careers, personal lives and families. Get Ready for Easter! March 9–13 The bunny is hopping your way— and we've got games, gifts, decorating ideas and DIY kids' projects to help you greet him. Spring #Workmom Fashion and Beauty Trends March 23–27 Ready to swap your sweaters, boots and winter coats for bright colors and fresh florals? So are we, even if it's…

THE MOM Jennifer Steinmann Deputy CEO and chief talent officer, Deloitte, a professional services firm THE SPOUSE Alexei Yaroshenko THE CHILD Lucy, 3 LIVES IN San Francisco click Read about Jennifer’s family time at workingmother.com/steinmann MY JOB as chief talent officer I do everything from identifying our need for talent to bringing that talent on board to growing and developing our people— and everything that supports all that. one support is Deloitte university, begun in 2011 in Westlake, TX, in which our partners, directors and senior managers run the programs. we log 1 million learning hours a year! in my deputy role, I serve my CEO in a variety of ways, some project-based, sometimes reviewing documents for his speaking engagements, some around interactions with the board and internal and external…

Take chances. “When I coach and sponsor women, I tell them to be decisive, and being decisive means taking some risk,” says J&J’s Sandi Peterson. “You’ll never have perfect data or complete insight. Do your analysis, then use the data and your experience to make a decision and move forward.” Work the big picture. Long hours and quiet laboring don’t necessarily get women ahead. Focus on projects that have the greatest strategic importance, and make sure your colleagues understand how you drove results. Create a network. Enlist mentors, peers and industry leaders. Most crucially, develop sponsorship support so someone with influence is lobbying for you. Outsource what you can. Focus on what fulfills. Take advantage of technology to automate whatever you can in your work (such as regular reports or…

Carol Evans: Linda, can you tell us a little bit about your career? Linda Di: I graduated with an engineering degree, started at a local factory as a quality engineer and moved up to production supervisor. Then I moved to HR. When I applied for the HR role, I was eight months pregnant. I didn’t know if I should go for the job, having no experience in HR at all. I went through nine interviews and got the job. Then I joined EMC. CE: At our conference there are a lot of female engineers who are struggling to deal with the male-dominated engineering culture. Do you feel there are more obstacles to women in China than in the United States? Is there a large issue with being an “only” woman…

Have a good idea. “There’s a 95 percent chance that it will fail,” says Jennifer Wong, co-founder of Alt12 Apps, maker of BabyBump and other apps, and a mom of two. “I often tell people to vet their idea with as many people as possible and to get their gut reaction.” If you’re not a programmer yourself, find one. “We don’t penalize you for not having a technical co-founder on board, but it is also not possible to be successful in the long run if you have no technical expertise in-house,” explains Renata Streit Quintini, a general partner at the Silicon Valley venture fund Felicis Ventures and a mom of two. Be sure to network. “It’s like dating,” says Shaherose Charania, CEO of Women 2.0, which supports female entrepreneurs with…