At Lilly, people are the source of all our abilities, all our successes.

Throughout our 125 year history, Lilly’s founders and leadership have established a corporate culture in which the company's employees were viewed as its most valuable assets, a belief that is still the cornerstone of the Lilly corporate philosophy. As demonstration of this commitment, an innovative work/ life program has resulted in Fortune magazine naming Eli Lilly and Company as one of the best companies to work for in America, and for the second consecutive year, Working Mother magazine has chosen Eli Lilly and Company as one of the ten best companies in America for working mothers. Lilly has been recognized by the magazine each year since 1995 and also was on its top ten list in 1996.

Recognizing that employees face numerous demands in balancing work and personal obligations, Lilly has made a concerted effort to make it easier for employees to be effective on-the-job.

• To address vital child care concerns, Lilly offers two on-site child development centers and a full-day kindergarten at its corporate headquarters, and summer camp programs for employees' children. Lilly extends this effort by partnering with the state of Indiana to improve child care standards statewide.
• On-site dry cleaning, banking and a convenience store at corporate headquarters, back-up child care, science camp, elder care resources, job sharing, telecommuting, on-site mammography and other types of immediate health care offer employees tangible ways to reduce daily stresses created by balancing work and life.
• The company also recognizes that employees might need extended leave to address personal issues, such as caring for a dependent child or parent, or to pursue educational opportunities. A liberal leave program ensures that employees can fulfill external obligations or enrichment programs and then return to the company.

"We have been working hard to create a corporate culture in which the requirements of work and the needs we all have in our personal lives are truly balanced," said Sidney Taurel, Lilly chairman, president and chief executive officer.

In this presentation, some of our most promising female chemical engineers will discuss Lilly’s approach to work/life balance offerings, successes to date, and challenges, as well as sharing personal experiences and perspective.