At Schneider Electric, all employees have the opportunity to enjoy flexible working.
Thanks to its Global Flexibility Principles that meet the needs of both women and men, Schneider Electric offers flexible working hours, telecommunity, activity-based working, flexible holidays, part-time, volunteering, flexible dress code, and more, so that employees can manage their unique life and work.
Pooja Shirali is an Internal Communications Leader at Schneider Electric. She is able to split her time as an entrepreneur and part-time employee at Schneider Electric thanks to the company's flexible working polices, which means she didn't have to lose sight of her dream.
Belonging to a diverse work culture
Since joining Schneider Electric, Pooja has never experienced "Monday blues" returning to work after the weekend. For her, Schneider Electric feels less like a workplace and more like a home, and her work fills her with excitement and enthusiasm.
"My first experience of the Schneider work culture was in 2014 as a summer intern with the Global Learning & Development Team. After completing my MBA program, I joined Schneider again as a Communications Specialist for the Medium Voltage Switchgear Line of Business (now Medium Voltage Offers business part of Power Systems Division in Energy Management)," she says.
"Managing communications for a global business means my team never sat in my location and my stakeholders were spread across the world. Initially, I wondered, am I going to feel like I belong in such a diverse work culture? Will my global team appreciate my ideas? How much freedom will I be given in my role? Schneider pleasantly surprised me on all accounts."
Enjoying a variety of responsibilities
One thing Pooja really enjoys about working at Schneider Electric is employees never play by the rulebook.
"If you ask me to describe my work areas, I would say- an assorted sweet box! Although my background is in Branding & Communications, I have had the privilege of working on different projects on Learning, Well-being, Diversity & Inclusion and manage dual roles with R&D India, Energy Business, and more," she explains.
"Roles and responsibilities that were well beyond my actual scope. Every time I wanted to do something different or was very enthusiastic about an ongoing program at Schneider in India or globally, my managers were more than happy to let me contribute. They have always allowed me flexible working with my interests."
Deciding to pursue her artistic passion
Working at Schneider Electric has helped Pooja discover that pursuing your passion and having a corporate job need not always be mutually exclusive.
"In 2019, I expressed my desire to go back to school and pursue entrepreneurship with my then manager. I had prepared a goodbye message for the meeting, but my manager suggested a better plan with flexible work in mind," she says.
"While I was a student, I wore two hats – studying and remotely managing my work responsibilities. It was not an easy task but the company was so supportive that it was very seamless. After the programme, I decided to focus on my passion – art. My art venture got investor funding and I was raring to go but my heart was still with Schneider Electric."
"Today, I proudly let people know that I am not just an Art Entrepreneur but also an Internal Communications Leader at Schneider Electric. Schneider, my manager, and team are largely instrumental in helping me explore, experience and execute both my roles. With ease I was able to rescope my work, be mindful of my workload and allow myself complete freedom and flexibility in work hours, schedule and pace. My team is not just accommodating but also regularly offers me help and ideas for my art venture," she adds.
"That’s why I say there are no blues but a variety of vivid colours and positive feelings in my job."
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Disclosure: Where Women Work researches and publishes insightful evidence about how its paid member organizations support women's equality.