At this year's Pacific Northwest Section-American Water Works Association Conference—the Northwest's largest conference and trade…
Murraysmith + Quincy Parents Share How They Make It Work
People balancing being a parent and having a career know that their kids won’t stop for important deadlines or conferences. Parents need the flexibility to raise their children while also doing a great job at work—this is especially true in times of emergency, when there is uncertainty or disruption to our normal patterns and routines.
Murraysmith + Quincy strives to provide benefits that support our whole team, so everyone can be exceptional at what they do, both in and out of the office. We recently asked some of our staff who are parents about their experience and how they balance work and family life:
“From the moment I interviewed with Murraysmith, I could tell there was a genuine interest in helping me navigate the challenges of coming back to work and balancing the needs of a small child. The interviewers made it clear that they wanted me to be the best engineer and best parent I could be—that I didn’t have to choose one over the other.
And they’ve held true to their word. People genuinely care about supporting both aspects of my life, as a civil engineer and a mother. I have flexibility to reduce my hours as needed or come to work a little later and leave a little earlier so that I can maintain drop off and pick up for my son. Often, in this industry, as you ramp up professional responsibility, you sacrifice flexibility. That hasn’t been the case at Murraysmith.”
“I helped start Murraysmith’s Boise office in 2007, when my son was just a toddler. My kids have grown up here. Our office regularly partners with non-profit organizations like the food bank and Rake Up Boise, and families, including kids, love to participate. It’s a great way to bring people together and get to know each other better. Sometimes different folks at the office will even get together to go skiing or fishing—it almost feels like extended family.”
“Leadership isn’t stifled because you’re a working parent at Murraysmith. That applies especially to women. This company has allowed me to be a leader, even though I have kids. You shouldn’t have to feel like you have to work 80 hours a week to be in a leadership position. You can be a leader here and work 40 hours a week, and sometimes even less. We have employees in leadership positions who work part time. There’s still a gap, but Murraysmith is helping to make those changes. I fully understand that the company has my back and is trying to better itself. And we’re getting there.”
“Murraysmith has encouraged me to make the time to be with family, which is different than other experiences I’ve had in the work force. Initially, I was talked out of attending too many off-hours events. It’s a constant reminder that family is first and that it is seen as valuable to the firm. I do make time, though, to bring my kids into the office for special occasions, like Halloween.”
“Murraysmith has been supportive of all my flexibility needs. Working remotely is incredibly helpful for new parents. I love my work. I didn’t want to leave my work when I had kids to be a stay at home parent. It’s important to advocate for all working parents, but especially for mothers because there are more social and economic consequences surrounding having children for women. Our HR team advocates so much for working parents, and our people more broadly.”
“The benefits at Murraysmith, especially our insurance, help make it so it’s not a burden to have a family. When I started working here, our medical costs went down $700 a month, and I find that our insurance costs about $200 less a month than other firms out there. It might seem like a simple, small thing, but those savings add up, and it helps us save for big expenses, or even just knowing it can pay for small expenses, like new shoes for all my kids.”
“Having the company be flexible with my availability and schedule has been very valuable to me and my family. When I was assigned to attend a conference, I picked a flight time that allowed me to drop off my daughter at daycare before I left for the conference and return the following afternoon so that I would only miss one night with my family.”
“There’s a lot of flexibility in our work schedules, so I can drop off the kids in the morning or do whatever I need to get done. It also helps that we have laptops, which allows us to work from home when necessary. When I need to be home, I can be productive, but I can also take a pause from work to be present with my wife and kids. That flexibility takes the stress off.
“If I had to say one thing to prospective working parents, it’s that having kids is a gamechanger. It’s easy to get hung up on the importance of our jobs, but we need to make sure we carve out time to spend with our loved ones. It’s crucial to work for a company where you can have that work-life balance and be accountable both to work and to your family.”
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