How Dell Helps New Moms Continue Their Careers

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Elaine Garza is a new mother who was surprised to find that Dell has a lot to offer when it comes to resources for first-time moms. She has worked at the company since 2011 in a handful of roles within the IT group and is now a Global Program Manager for University Relations for IT.

"I really just love that it's a big company and that there are so many opportunities for you to network, meet people, develop your career in IT, or to grow in other aspects in IT or even outside of IT.”

She discovered she was pregnant the day before Christmas in 2014 and was immediately excited to share the news with her colleagues.

"My manager is a great leader and a really good friend and a good support system for everyone on our team. Maternity leave truly is maternity leave. I did not have to worry about a thing with work. They had it covered and I was able to pick back up once I came back to work full time. My team made sure my work was supported and they had a backfill in place to run things while I was out for 11 weeks."

There was support outside of her team as well in the form of regular check-up calls from nurses. She was able to rely on the 24-hour nurse phone line for any questions or concerns she had during her pregnancy and continued after Olivia was born. They also checked how Garza was doing physically and mentally.

"It was really interesting for me. You're just feeling so overwhelmed, so I really appreciated the support for Olivia and for me."

When preparing to return to work, she learned that Dell has a list of preferred daycares to make it easy for parents looking for services.

"They had a comprehensive list and one of them is a mile from my house. I'm really happy with them and they offer Dell discounts, so that was a real bonus."

Continuing to care for her baby after returning to work was easy for Garza.

"The mother's rooms on campus are incredible. It's just really nice that they have one in every building. I also have the flexibility to take time throughout the day to go to pump because I am still strictly breastfeeding. The fact that they're available, I've never had a time where I have to wait in line."

Dell’s Legacy of Good plan aims to empower 50 percent of eligible employees take advantage of flexible work arrangements by the year 2020 to better support work-life balance for all team members, regardless of the stage of life they’re in.

"Flexible work life balance means that you could be finishing up your MBA or having a baby or maybe your kids are going off to college. They're flexible in the sense that everyone is going through different things in their life so you have that support no matter where you are. Whether you're a first time mom or sending your kid off to college, you have that support from your team and from Dell."

 To learn more about how Dell supports women, join the conversation on Twitter with #WomenAtDell.

About the Author: Meredith Harrison

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