At Professionelle, we want to celebrate companies who make
the effort to become great places for women to work.
When we started working on this site, one of our contacts
told us about a friend of hers who'd moved from one of New
Zealand's largest corporates to Lisa's
Hummus and just raves about how good the company's been to her.
So of course, we really wanted to know why that was the case and to
share her story with you, our readers.
Meet Robyn
The friend in question, Robyn Stewart, kindly agreed to be
interviewed and over an hour, with some beautiful home-baked
biscuits, she gave us her perspective on what makes a company great
for women and why Lisa's Hummus is an example of one.
Robyn is the Product Development Manager for the company. She
develops all their products, including their vegetarian range,
called Bean Supreme. Robyn came back from a seven year stint in the
UK where she had worked for a specialist vegetarian company. From
the UK, she lined herself up with a job in a large New Zealand
corporate.
Personal values
Working for the New Zealand corporate, Robyn quickly found that
she didn't feel like she fitted in. Her personal values seemed
incompatible with working in the large corporate environment with
all that it entailed.
In the process, she realised that what was important to her,
namely work-life balance and workplace flexibility, was more
compatible with working for a smaller company. She wanted an
environment where people were respected for what they could bring.
For Robyn, being able to be creative in her role as product manager
was key. She felt that the only way she could be true to what
motivates her was to work for an environment without the pressure
and expectation to climb the corporate ladder.
Lisa's Hummus and Sanitarium
Enter Lisa's, the company which was started up by Lisa Corban
and is now owned by Sanitarium. Robyn describes Lisa's as a company
that lives its values of respect for families and respect for
individuals.
Sanitarium and Lisa's are owned by the business
arm of the Seventh Day Adventists, something Robyn was a bit
apprehensive about to begin with. But, now she says that the Church
aspect of the company translates into real values in the workplace.
Robyn emphasises that the company places no pressure on employees
to participate in church activities.
What makes Lisa's so great for women?
Robyn feels that Lisa's core values of respect for families and
individuals makes them a great place to work for, right from the
word go. "When you interview for a job and you're of a certain age,
you always feel like they don't want you to leave to have babies.
With Lisa's it wasn't like that at all. They appreciate the skills
you bring and want you to be able to have children and continue to
contribute."
And have they delivered on this interview promise? Well, Robyn
is now pregnant. She was a bit nervous telling her boss as morning
sickness can be a problem for a product development manager who
works with food all day. Robyn was overwhelmed with her boss's warm
reaction. In fact, she was told to take as much time off as she
needed to and not to push herself too much.
She's about to go on maternity leave and the company is working
hard on ways to keep her in the loop. She also gets to keep her
company car while on leave.
How do they make it work?
Robyn doesn't think that Lisa's have specific policies and
procedures in place. In her view, the small size of the company and
their core value - that family is important - is what makes it
work. She cites examples where staff can bring kids to work when
they're stuck for childcare. The school age kids play computer
games and enjoy the food!
Robyn believes that the key to making it a great place for women
(and men) is Lisa's approach to flexible work hours. Robyn
remembers how when she started at Lisa's she was at her desk at
8.30 am, and as the day progressed, she watched people constantly
come and go. She asked her boss what hours she was supposed to
work. His reply was, "Whatever you need to complete the work!"
Robyn says, "Everybody, not just working mothers, works
different hours depending on their lives and needs. Even senior
managers work flexibly. The only ones with strict hours are the
receptionists, but they job share anyway."
Is Lisa's different from other food companies?
Robyn believes that women in Lisa's have a higher degree of
control over their roles than in other food companies.
"The food industry is male-dominated like most manufacturing
companies. Product developers can be seen a bit as 'glamour girls'.
At Lisa's we're taken seriously, we've got a strong voice. I always
feel that we're heard and not dismissed."
Robyn is so enthusiastic about Lisa's, that she doesn't actually
think there's anything she'd change about the company to make it an
even better place for women to work.
Robyn's advice for women who are looking for a great place to
work
- First, be honest with yourself about what you really want out
of life. Advancement? Working your way up the corporate ladder?
Status? Money? A balanced life?
- Make sure the company's values match up with your own.
- Make the effort to really meet the people you'll be working
with. Talk to them at length and see if you click because companies
tend to attract like-minded people.
- Ask the senior manager about how he or she views work.
Attitudes towards work-life balance come from the top.
And the warning signs?
- See how many women there are in top management positions. If
there are none or only a token one, take note!
- A male-dominated and highly competitive culture.
- A reputation for big drinking sessions on Friday nights
- An underlying perception that in order to be taken seriously
you have to put in very long hours.
Your feedback
This is our first article with an actual example of a great
place for women to work in New Zealand. We'd love to know if we
should do more of these and if it's useful to you. Contact us with
your feedback, or you can start a thread or post a reply on our new
Bulletin Board.
Your Story?
We'd love to know if you're working for a great company for
women. Please contact us if you'd like to share your story.
© Professionelle Ltd 2007