Adobe named a Best Workplace for Women and Working Mothers
We are proud to announce that Adobe has been named a 2020 Best Workplace for Women by Fortune Magazine, and for the fourth year in a row, a place on the annual Working Mother 100 Best Companies list in the U.S.
Both lists spotlight companies with a strong focus on inclusive benefits for families, gender-neutral leave programs, equal access to growth and development opportunities, and employees’ daily experiences of innovation and trust in their leaders.
As part of this recognition, we are highlighting some of our employees on what they believe makes Adobe a great place to work. Here’s what they said.
Advice for working mothers
As part of Working Mother’s recognition, we can nominate an Adobe working mother who embodies our core values and has made significant contributions to the community. This year, we’re excited to announce that Kimberly Le Deaux, senior product marketing manager for Adobe Document Cloud, has been recognized as a U.S. 2020 Working Mother of the Year.
Kimberly Le Deaux and her family.
A mom of two young girls, Kimberly joined Adobe in 2018 and creates go-to-market campaigns and programs for Adobe Sign. From 2018-2019, Kimberly also made her mark in the community as the first African American president of the Junior League of San Jose, California.
Kimberly credits Adobe’s commitment to supporting working parents for fueling her success. “At first, I was concerned that being the president of a nonprofit focused on transitional age foster youth and taking care of my own family would take away from my role at Adobe. It did not,” Kimberly shared. “Not only did Adobe applaud me in this achievement, but they also invested in our organization and our community and created a home for me where I can thrive as a professional, a community leader, and a mother.”
Home is certainly important to Kimberly, who prides herself on being the daughter of a working mom who taught her to set up her own home for success. Adobe has helped her do just that.
“My goal is to leave a legacy and make sure that my girls grow into strong, intelligent, independent African American women. My wish is that they will inspire future generations and change the world. The best advice I’ve ever received from my mom was to make sure my home is set up for success. If your home is not a home, you won’t be able to give your best for yourself or your employer.”
Yuga Iyer and her family.
For Yuga Iyer, university recruiting manager, life as a working mother is all about setting the right expectations and having colleagues who respect them.
“I am a mom to 11-year-old twins. The journey of a parent is not easy. You are constantly in a giving mode. What does that mean for work? It means juggling priorities, understanding the dynamics of raising a family and staying productive at work. I had to draw boundaries between work and life. Time Management is key and knowing everything is not a priority. As an Adobe Employee I make myself heard and I personally respect my boundaries. My co-workers, manager, stake holders and direct reports respect my boundaries because I respect them myself. Remember work-life balance is what you define and not what others define for you.”
What makes Adobe a best workplace
When asked what makes Adobe a Best Workplace for Women, Justine Philp, manager, customer success, was quick to recognize the company’s response to COVID-19. Here’s what she had to share about the support employees have been given since the pandemic.
“Prior to the pandemic, as a new mum the Adobe team has always been cognoscente and respectful of the challenges, needs and demands of individual needs. It was clear that there was a level of maturity in the business that I had not seen in my 20 years prior, around respect, understanding and opportunity. It was truly a breath of fresh air, and a place I could call my (second) home!
Now, during COVID, the company has stepped up to amazing heights. We’re not only working from home — we’re home schooling, juggling all types of emotional, educational, physical and social challenges. Everyone is facing challenges, and the open, honest and authentic leadership recognising that we have needs, and the support we’ve received in response to that, continues to blow my mind. It reminds me that I am in the best company, not only in supporting women, but for all.”
Kim-Anh Nguyen with her two children.
Similarly, Kim-Anh Nguyen, senior manager, ACS strategy and operations, cites Adobe’s benefits and growth opportunities as big reasons for the company’s recognition.
“I’ve been at Adobe for 12 years! My children were 1 and 2 when I first started at Adobe, and they are now 13 and 14, so they have quite literally grown up with Adobe being part of our family.
While many companies and employees are just learning how to work from home, Adobe has always had the technology in place to allow us to collaborate our global teams. This same technology allows working parents to be flexible with their schedules and work from home when needed. That flexibility has been the single most important thing in helping me juggle the busy life of a working parent as my kids have transitioned from being toddlers to now teenagers. My family and I have enjoyed so many Adobe programs and benefits, including the wellness reimbursement, sabbatical, bereavement leave, volunteering opportunities and the Adobe Field Trip.
In addition to feeling highly supported as a working mother, I have also benefited from many women-specific leadership and career development opportunities, including being sponsored to attend the Women Unlimited Program, Leadership Circles, the Adobe & Women Leadership Summit and Adobe For All Summits. I whole-heartedly agree that Adobe is a great place to work for women!”
We know that life during this unusual time can have its challenges. Adobe has benefits for the U.S. and rest of world to help employees address some of these obstacles and lighten the load as we continue to adjust to the new normal. Drop by our benefits site to understand more about what we offer to employees—from physical wellbeing to emotional wellbeing.