Women tout work flexibility

After graduating from law school at the University of Mississippi in 1998, Misty Kelley took a job at Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz and she’s been there ever since.

Now 36, and a wife and mother, Mrs. Kelley said she appreciates the support she has received from the law firm over the past decade.

“Law firms often get the reputation for being old-fashioned, stodgy and slow to change,” she said. “From the time that I’ve been here they’ve always been very progressive.”

Two businesses with Chattanooga ties recently won accolades for being good workplaces for women — Baker Donelson, which was recently named among the top law firms in the country for women, and First Tennessee Bank parent company First Horizon, which was named one of the top 50 companies for women executives.

For moms with families, achieving that work-life balance is important, so it is even better when the workplace makes it easy. More than 60 percent of women in families with children under 18 are employed, according to the latest survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Linda Mosley, a senior vice president with First Tennessee, said her bosses have always allowed her the flexibility she needs to care for her family. She started working for the bank in 1996 when her son was a teenager.

“They were very gracious in allowing me to be away with school functions if I needed to, they were understanding if I had a sick child and needed to stay home,” she said.

But not all of the places she worked have been that way. She recalls working for a bank in Oregon before moving to Chattanooga. Her bosses there would require extensive explanations any time she needed to leave.

Mrs. Mosley, 57, began her career with the bank as a teller before moving to a branch management position and small business lending. Working for First Tennessee, she was able to become a certified financial planner.

In addition to her responsibilities overseeing private clients’ financial services, Mrs. Mosley also is a member of the Hamilton County School Board. She said her bosses have encouraged her to become active in the community.

“Working with First Tennessee, I’ve gotten to meet a lot of people and network in the community,” Mrs. Mosley said.

The National Association for Female Executives recognized First Horizon based on the company’s placement of women in jobs with profit-and-loss responsibility, according to the group.

In 2008, women accounted for 67 percent of all First Horizon managers and supervisors. Eighteen percent of the company’s senior managers and top executives are women.

At Baker Donelson, the firm works to help women — and men alike — to achieve a balance between their work and personal lives, Mrs. Kelley said.

“It is difficult, everybody has to balance other roles in their lives,” she said.

Baker Donelson offers generous maternity and paternity leave for attorneys, as well as flex time options, which allow people to work their schedules the way that best fits their lives.

“I think the firm just gets it. They understand that everybody is struggling to maintain this work-life balance and the more tools that the firm gives us to do that, the more productive everybody is,” she said. “It’s in everybody’s best interest.”