Recognizing Parents Supporting Other Parents
Having a healthy balance between work and private life is part of the culture at our family-owned company. Aside from benefiting our employees, it also contributes to our overall success. In our experience, employees with a good work-life balance bring a greater level of energy and dedication to their jobs.
The benefits we provide are designed to help working parents maintain their work-life balance effectively. As part of this, you can expect flexible hours as well as on-site amenities like fitness centers, childcare, dry cleaners, and banking services.
In addition, several of our employees take steps to support parents in both their professional and personal lives. Recently, Seramount named two of our employees ‘Working Parent of the Year’ for encouraging positive work-life balance and implementing initiatives that help parents succeed. This recognition is part of Seramount’s ‘Best Companies’ award given to organizations committed to women’s advancement, diversity and inclusion, and family-friendly workplace culture.
Working Dad of the Year - Matthew Helmin-Walker
Matthew is a senior associate director for cardiometabolic strategic engagement. Currently, he lives in Connecticut with his husband, Josh, and their nine-year-old twins, Henry and Julianne. In addition to overseeing our relationship-management team, he handles several other logistical and tactical tasks.
How he helped: Matt developed standard operating procedures for his employees to make sure they don't get burnt out and can balance their work and personal lives. The procedures free up time to focus on actions that drive business forward and remove ambiguities that result in longer hours and less personal time.
Why it matters: Matthew shared that, “Life/work balance should be a priority for all leaders. By improving clarity around job scope, there’s a deeper sense of workload ownership. This impacts how we all approach balancing work expectations against personal commitments to our friends and family.”
Working Mother of the Year - Deborah Reardon
Deborah is a director of access solutions. She and her husband, David, live in Connecticut with their two children: Benjamin and Emilyn. Deborah shared that balancing time for her career and family is crucial, especially when her children were born.
“Maternity leave allowed me to spend time with my children and transition to a ‘new normal’ of balancing a career and expanding family,” said Deborah. The same cannot be said for many women and men who are faced with the difficult decision to leave the workforce or miss out on meaningful bonding time with their families.
How she helped: As chair and ambassador of the American Cancer Society’s ResearcHERS program, Deborah has been helping postdoctoral fellows working on cancer research receive comprehensive family benefits, like paid time off.
Why it matters: With the support of this women-led initiative, Deborah can make a difference in the lives of others, providing them with resources to care for their children, advance their careers, and ensure that cancer research continues to save lives