October 26 2007 - The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) today announced Betty Purkey as the recipient of the 2007 SWE Work Life Balance Award. Purkey is being recognized for launching a successful work/life balance effort and expanding it to a robust and comprehensive program that is credited with achieving a low voluntary turnover rate and a high percentage of female executives.
Purkey is manager of work/life strategies for Texas Instruments, Dallas, Texas. In this position, Purkey manages the company's work/life strategy and programs, dependent care community investment, workplace flexibility and diversity metrics. In addition, she focuses on creating, implementing and championing programs for Texas Instruments' employees worldwide.
"Betty Purkey has made a significant impact on the culture at Texas Instruments, and on the workplace environment worldwide, by establishing a landmark program that allows women in engineering to balance their personal and professional lives while advancing their careers," says Michelle Tortolani, president of SWE. "Because of Betty's initiatives, more women - and men - can design their work schedules to fit their particular situations, as well as have access to recommendations for such resources as childcare or eldercare providers. Our profession owes forward-thinking leaders like Betty a debt of gratitude for her passion and commitment to making work/life balance issues a priority in the workplace."
Betty began her 40-year career at Texas Instruments as a computer programmer in the Corporate Research organization. In 1994, and after 28 years in the company, Purkey took on the responsibilities of her current position.
Under Purkey's leadership, two work/life initiatives were implemented at Texas Instruments: Flexible Workplace and the Resource/Referral Program. Around the time Betty took her position in work/life strategy, she recognized employees expressing a need for greater flexibility within the workplace. Five different groups tested a pilot program of various work scenarios, and today, employees can work part-time, remotely, or on flexible schedules, depending on individual situations.
The second priority among employees was the need for help locating resources, especially childcare. A team of company employees evaluated vendors and provided proposals to human resources, which in turn funded the program. Today, the company's LifeWorks Resource and Referral Program is still one of its most used programs.
During the past 13 years, Purkey has used results from pilot programs, employee feedback and data from other companies to implement more than two dozen successful work/life programs at Texas Instruments. The company has a full-range of work/life options, including: Onsite Summer Camp, Onsite Fitness Center, Wellness Programs, Practical Parent Education, Childcare Discounts, Lactation Consultant Services, Workplace Seminars, and more.
"Betty's approach to work/life, from staying in tune with our workforce, to identifying growing issues, to providing great pilot programs and the excellent tools and communications make human resources easier to manage," says Darla Whitaker, senior vice president for Texas Instruments. "Betty's work is a model for U.S. corporations that value work life balance for their employees."
In 2005, Texas Instruments launched its two newest initiatives. The first included Paid Adoption & Paternity Leave, which includes two weeks of paid leave for any employee who is a new adoptive parent and two weeks for any father of a new baby. During the first year, 459 men took advantage of paternity leave and 20 employees took the adoption leave.
The second initiative was the implementation of the College Coach program, whereby hands-on coaching seminars helped parents prepare for college for children or themselves. The seminars included saving, paying for and choosing the right college, the admissions process, and customized advice on specific issues. Today, the program is available to all U.S. employees via Web seminars and resources.
The numerous work/life balance programs have contributed to Texas Instruments' low voluntary turnover rate corporate wide. In 2006, 88 percent of new mothers returned from maternity leave and continued their employment at the company. Also, since 1989, the number of women in management job grades increased fourfold. Texas Instruments was one of the first recipients of the Sloan Award for Excellence in Workplace Flexibility.
Purkey received her B.S. degree in mathematics, summa cum laude, and her M.S. degree in computer science from Southern Methodist University.
The SWE Work/Life Balance Award honors an individual who has been instrumental in establishing a landmark program for his or her organization to improve the ability of women engineers and other employees to balance work and family responsibilities. In so doing, this person has demonstrated recognition of the need for employees to balance work, family, and personal interests.
The Work/Life Balance Award will be presented October 26 at WE07, the Society of Women Engineers national conference. WE07 is being held at the Nashville Convention Center, October 25-27, in Nashville, Tenn. The more than 4,000 attendees include professionals from every discipline of the engineering profession and engineering students and educators. The WE08 conference is scheduled for November 6-8, 2008, in Baltimore.
About SWE
The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), founded in 1950, is a not-for-profit educational and service organization. SWE is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in those aspirations and receive the recognition and credit for their life-changing contributions and achievements as engineers and leaders. For more information about the Society please visit
www.swe.org or call (312) 596-5223.
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