Greg, IT Manager

One strategy that significantly helps me balance work and family life is having a schedule that aligns with my boys’ school hours. This allows me to assist my wife with dropping them off in the morning on my way to work and pick them up from school in the afternoon right after I finish work.

A flexible work schedule and an understanding manager at AIS are crucial in helping me manage my responsibilities as a father while effectively handling my workload. This flexibility ensures I can be present for my family when they need me most.

Being a father is a fantastic experience! Watching my two boys grow up has been incredibly rewarding. I cherish spending time with them, teaching them life lessons, helping them learn and grow and sharing my hobbies and interests. It’s truly an amazing journey.

Greg, Staff Attorney

One effective strategy my wife Heather and I use to manage our busy schedules is keeping a detailed calendar. With both of us working at AIS and our girls being active in school, sports and dance, it can be overwhelming to keep track of everything. So, we have a calendar in the kitchen where we mark down all appointments, practices, games, dance recitals—everything!

The hybrid work schedule and flex time at AIS have been invaluable in balancing my career and family responsibilities. The ability to work remotely and make up time as needed allows me to participate in school activities or care for a sick child while staying productive and meeting job demands. I honestly don’t know how we managed before!

One of my favorite things about fatherhood is watching my girls develop their own unique personalities and getting to re-experience things through their eyes. Things like learning to ride a bike, playing sports, the magic of holidays, the tooth fairy and a million other more mundane things that we take for granted but are amazing to them.

Michael, Chief Engineer

One strategy that helps me balance work and life is leaving the office at the same time every day. This consistency lets everyone at home know when to expect me. It benefits my family in several ways: my wife knows which activities I can cover, my boys know when they can ask me to play kickball or watch to see how long they can juggle and my colleagues avoid any guesswork regarding my availability for meetings and check-ins.

When thinking about my gratitude to AIS, the health care support immediately comes to mind. Having great insurance means I don’t hesitate to seek timely and effective medical treatment or advice, keeping my family healthy and the tally of broken bones to a minimum. Another aspect I appreciate is the flexibility to work from home when needed. While I prefer coming to the office daily, being able to work from home when necessary helps me adapt to life’s curveballs and stay productive.

I love encouraging my boys to experiment in life and to relish the cycle of failing and then learning from the experience. Just yesterday, I let my middle son try to back the lawnmower out of our shed by himself, which requires using a few fold-out ramps and some nuanced maneuvering. I watched from inside and saw him learn, in real-time, how (to quote one of my favorite movies) “when you’re in reverse, things come from behind you”. Luckily the playset we have is pretty stout, it survived the hit.

Chris, Principal Engineer

A specific strategy that I’ve found to be effective in balancing work and life as a father of three daughters is copious amounts of coffee. Jokes aside, and as the kids are getting older, I find it much easier to maintain balance by having a shared calendar with my wife to track both things going on at home as well as any pertinent work commitments. This goes hand in hand with having family commitments in my work shared calendar and ensuring that my team is aware of anything that may impact my availability.

AIS’s flex time has always been the most helpful while raising all three of our kids. Between appointments, school activities, extracurricular activities and life, the flex time policy allows you to manage the demands of work while still allowing you to make family a priority.

The most rewarding aspect of being a father is guiding your kids through life while watching them grow into their own person with their own unique personalities. It’s funny to see how different all three of my daughters are, while also having certain traits of my wife and myself within each of them. At the end of the day, there is nothing like coming home and seeing how truly excited your kids are to see you.

Jackie, Subcontracts Manager

The most effective strategy I have found for balancing work and life is good communication and planning. My kids are 11 and 5, so if I have work during time when I’m normally available to my family, I let them know and plan ahead of time. Likewise, if I have a family commitment during working hours or a limitation on a certain day, I make sure it’s in my outlook calendar and I communicate with my team in advance. I try to be fully present wherever I am and to give the people I’m with my undivided attention. I make efforts to take care of myself (sleep, water/nutrition, exercise) so that I have energy and focus for days that have non-stop demands.

Flexible hours and remote working have been a game changer. I’m also blessed with both an amazing boss who understands the drill and an awesome team who backs me up. I make sure to provide support and understanding to others as well.

Motherhood is the craziest, most tiring and most expensive endeavor of my life, but I feel like my life truly began when my first child was born. Some mornings start with cleaning a teddy bear covered in vomit. Many evenings are spent playing hockey while giving friendship advice and laughing. The most rewarding aspect, by far, is giving and receiving unconditional love. My children are the legacy, hopefully of goodness, that I leave to the world.

Christiana, Program Manager

My strategy for balancing work and life is to keep fluid. As a mother of two birth children and one bonus son, “life be lifing”. I can have all the plans in the world, but I better have some flexibility and keep my mind open to the changes that may happen day-to-day. I have all boys who like to test the limits of life daily, so rolling with the punches has helped me deal with the pressures of it all. I schedule meetings after 9:30am to handle morning chaos, multitask during downtime and tackle work during their sleep.

I’m so thankful that I work for AIS because they value family and flexibility. AIS benefits and culture have made managing my responsibilities as a mother a bit easier. The 80% contributions to my HSA enabled me to easily pay for the thousands of dollars of uncovered costs of birthing my two children and being able to work remotely makes having a work/life balance possible for me.

The most rewarding aspects of being a mother are the kisses, cuddles, slobbers and words “I love you”. Better yet, is the way they love each other, since that love is an extension of the love they feel in the home. Mommy and daddy give them a comfortable and happy home to call their safe place.

Maureen, Software Engineer II

Balancing work and life is no easy task, especially with so much going on all the time. I’m definitely a control freak, so I’ve had to learn to say no to things and prioritize work when I’m at work, and my home life when I’m home. My husband and I divide and concur the many, many sports events and I get to the housework when I can. I continually strive to be more present, and to do my best and forget the rest.

There’s no way I would have a functional life without AIS’s flex hours and the ability to work from home when I need to. My team is very supportive when I forget my kids only have a half day of school, or one of them gets sick and I need to stay home.

The most rewarding aspect of being a mom is the unconditional love and hugs. My kids are my whole world. I absolutely love watching them grow and learn and become their beautifully unique, funny and kind selves.

Lynette, HR Generalist

Balancing motherhood with work is all about having a support system and a solid routine. For me, it’s about building that village and finding time for self-care, because when mama’s happy, everyone’s happy!

At AIS, things like great health coverage, awesome managers and flexible work options make all the difference in managing work and family life.

As a mom, the most rewarding moments come when I see my kids embracing the values I’ve taught them. Now that I’m a ‘Gigi,’ I’m getting another chance to see those values in action and do even better this time around. And the love I have for my kids? That’s my superpower—it keeps me going through everything!

Heidi, Senior Technical Writer

When my daughter came into the world, I found myself grappling with the uncertainty of returning to work post-leave. Opting out of traditional daycare added another layer of complexity, as I navigated the challenge of balancing a full-time job with being a hands-on mom. While we do have a nanny for most weekdays, there are still moments when I’m juggling it all. Fortunately, AIS has been incredibly supportive and understanding of my circumstances. Their flexibility has been a game-changer, allowing me to cherish the precious moments with my daughter, witnessing her growth and being there for every milestone. As I prepare to welcome another daughter into our family, I’m grateful for the work/life balance I’ve achieved and the opportunity to pursue my career with AIS.

Heather, Program Analyst

My strategy for a work/life balance is planning. As a mother of three girls, we are constantly on the move between practices, games, dance classes, birthday parties, etc. We have a calendar where my husband and I add all our scheduled events which helps us to better manage our schedules and stay on track. This is truly a lifesaver for us! I love the fact that I am able to work from home and go into the office along with flexible hours. I also have a wonderful manager who is supportive and understanding when something comes up! Being a mother is the most amazing, chaotic experience all wrapped into one. I absolutely love being a mom and watching my girls grow into beautiful young women.