Flexible Work for Dell Intern’s Flexible Lives

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Dell walks the walk when it comes to creating flexible arrangements for the people who work here. We recently spoke with a few interns who saw work/life balance come to life during their time with Dell.

Flexible Arrangements are Good for People, the Environment, the Bottom Line

Summer Finance Intern Mita Coker admitted that she was at first skeptical of the truth contained in the phrase “work-life balance.” However, Dell assuaged her doubts. During her time at the company, Coker had the opportunity to discuss sustainability and corporate responsibility individually with leaders throughout Dell.

In doing so, she found enough information to publish a blog post about work/life balance on LinkedIn.

“Employees who work 10 days/month from home save about $350 in gas on average,” she noted in her post. “Dell estimates that as a whole, pushing for a more remote workforce will save 136 million miles per year and 35,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas per year.”

Some of Coker’s research tied into Dell’s work/life balance policy and 2020 Legacy of Good Plan. Part of that policy says that, by the year 2020, Dell aims to have at least 50 percent of the Round Rock, Texas workforce working from home, either part-time or full-time.

Caring for New Family Members

Audrey Jin is an HR Graduate advisor who was an HR intern with Dell in summer 2015.

“The first and most important reason I wanted to come back to Dell after my internship was the people,” Jin said. “And the second reason was the flexible environment.”

She learned first-hand how serious Dell’s leadership team is when they encourage people to balance work and life.

“I got an eight-week-old puppy, and he needed to be let out frequently,” Jin said. “I really appreciate Dell because they give me the flexibility to enjoy my work and also care for a new member of my family.”

Dell employees are encouraged to take advantage of opportunities to work from home and take time out of the traditional workday for themselves and their family members.

Flexibility to Pursue Passions

“Something about Dell that I heard in the recruiting process that I’ve really encountered here is that entrepreneurial spirit and that ability to set your own schedule,” said Rose Glendinning, a 2016 Dell summer intern in HR. “But you have to make sure you get your own work done.”

For Glendinning, an MBA candidate at Michigan State University, getting her Dell work done on her own schedule meant she could continue pursuing a passion of hers: coffee. She owns two locations of Biggby Coffee, a Michigan franchise.

“Early in the morning, I’d make sure everything was going smoothly at the store…and then I’d be ready for 100 percent focus on Dell,” Glendinning noted. “What I’ve brought to Dell from being an owner is the ability to prioritize when things need to get done. That self-starter motivation and energy is really fostered here at Dell.”

At Dell you can work hard for our customers while creating a happy and successful life outside the office. We have a wide variety of options for our team members to choose from, that drive great results for the business no matter how or where they get it done. For this reason, we’re proud of the investments we’ve made in workplace innovation and IT solutions that empower our teams to do their best work however it works best for them. Learn more about our flexible culture and search for your next career today!

 Projects and Voices of Dell’s Internship Class of 2016 from Dell

About the Author: Chelsea Rigney

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