See below: What women are saying about Sandia
Sandia was recognized recently by Fairygodboss, the largest career community for women, as one of the Best Companies for Women 2020 and Best Companies where CEOs Support Gender Diversity. Released annually, the honors are based entirely on women’s reviews left on a social and professional network that aims to provide free resources and a safe, inclusive environment for highly motivated women to connect with other career-minded individuals.
“It is such an honor to be recognized by Fairygodboss as a Best Company for Women AND Best Company Where CEOs Support Gender Diversity in 2020,” said Sandia Chief Diversity Officer Esther Hernandez. “Inclusion and Diversity are strategic focus areas for the Labs, and our employees understand that inclusion and diversity are business imperatives that give Sandia a competitive advantage. Additionally, we all agree that it’s just the right thing to do.”
Companies with more than 30 anonymous reviews on Fairygodboss were eligible for the rankings. Scores for the Best Companies for Women category were determined by averaging responses to three questions related to overall job satisfaction, equality and whether they would recommend their employer to others. To determine the Best Companies Where CEOs Support Gender Diversity, companies were ranked based on average answers to the question, “Do you think your CEO supports gender diversity?”
Reviews laud flexibility, support
Over the past year, Sandia has received numerous reviews that laud the Labs’ flexible work arrangements, supportive leadership, mentorship and networking opportunities, and fulfilling careers.
“Gender diversity is a critical component of our strategy that is championed by many,” Esther said. “Strong commitment from the Laboratories leadership and collaboration with Employee Resource Groups, Talent Acquisition and Talent Management to take action in the areas of inclusion and diversity in recruiting, interviewing, hiring, developing talent and many other areas are moving us in the right direction.”
Sandia’s recruiting team began its partnership with Fairygodboss in the beginning of 2020 to expand the Labs’ reach and amplify Sandia’s brand with professional women in STEM and non-STEM fields across the nation. Sandia’s company profile highlights women in the workforce through employee bios and quarterly articles to bring more women to the Labs and build awareness around a Sandia career.
“An award like this only happens if we’re all working to understand inclusion and diversity, as well as advancing the initiatives in our respective roles,” Esther said. “To every Sandian who is championing inclusion and diversity in our day-to-day work, we thank you! This accomplishment belongs to each and every one of us!”
Images courtesy of Fairygodboss
What women are saying about Sandia
The recognition earned from Fairygodboss was based 100% on anonymous reviews about Sandia. Below is just a sampling of experiences shared on the site.
“I never feel like my contributions are minimized or maximized as a woman at Sandia. I believe my work is valued on its merit. Even though the engineering field and Sandia are still male-dominated, Sandia does care about supporting its female engineers, as well as inspiring young women to work here or elsewhere as an engineer. I also have many female mentors to look up to in my current organization. One is a more senior engineer in my group, and at one point, both my Level 2 manager and center director were women!”
— Anonymous review from Oct. 9, 2020
“Great opportunities to develop and grow your career. Staff can move around within the company to gain experience in a variety of technical and business areas. There is great work/life balance, and the company is supportive of flexible work arrangements to suit working parents, people with disabilities, etc.”
— Anonymous review from Oct. 6, 2020
“Sandia is an institution that supports working mothers, as exhibited by the way the executive leadership team has handled the demands of working from home during this very challenging pandemic. Policies were changed and managers were asked to work with their employees to ensure stress was reduced and families were able to function as normally as possible during this time.”
— Anonymous review from Aug. 18, 2020
“Sandia is a great place to work. You get the opportunity to do meaningful work and have a variety of projects to work on. Yet the people are a big factor of why people stay at Sandia. Sandia cares about its employees. Work-life balance isn’t a slogan, it’s embraced in the culture at all levels.”
— Anonymous review from Aug. 5, 2020
“Sandia helps empower women to grow and learn professionally and personally. I am beyond thankful to work for an employer that values me and views me as an asset to the company.”
— Anonymous review from March 27, 2020
Women and allies in Sandia’s workforce are encouraged to make a profile, connect with the Fairygodboss community, and add their anonymous review.