Many people have the notion that foreign financial companies are male-dominant. However, about 40% of all employees, 20% of managers, and 40% of the Management Committee members are women at Morgan Stanley.
Here are some stories from female employees working at Morgan Stanley about their career plans, work-life balance, and mindset for work.
My career embellishes my life
When I was job-hunting, I wanted to get a job that would allow me to build up my skillset and financial stability before I got married or had children. A marketing position at a foreign financial firm appealed to me for its fast-paced environment and I thought I could grow quickly. Particularly at Morgan Stanley, the employees seemed well balanced with their assertiveness and conservativeness, which made me want to join the firm. Since joining the firm in 2008, my career has been a very important part of my life. I’m fortunate to have a job that I’m passionate about and it adds depth to my life.
Balancing a career and a family has a lot of challenges, but it equally brings just as many rewards.
I have three children and a dog at home. A lot of my time outside work revolves around spending time with my family, going on walks, and playing sports. I get asked a lot about how I can have such a busy job yet spend time with the family. Actually, that is where technology has really helped in finding the right balance. I work with a lot of people around the globe, so there are times when I need to make calls in the evening or early morning. With remote computing capabilities, I can still connect to the office remotely from home when needed, allowing me to be more efficient. Successfully balancing a career and a family has a lot of challenges, but it equally brings just as many rewards.
Being able to be yourself will lead to successful results at work
I was once told, 'you don’t have to be like everyone else'. It was a relief to be told. It doesn’t apply for just women; I believe if each individual can be themselves, it will lead to a better outcome. Thus I continue to make our work environment where everyone can be themselves. We have policies and programs to support employees at different life stages and our employee networks are important resources that enable employees to share information and concerns around their personal life as well as careers.