Our Perspective: Work-Life Balance at Sentry Equipment

Mikaela Gitto, Sentry’s Director of Human Resources, and Heidi Balestrieri, Sentry’s Director of Engineering, both appreciate the company’s benefits and culture in helping further their careers without sacrificing time with their families. They call Sentry a “family-first” workplace that truly cares about its employee-owners.

“The culture of Sentry is family-focused. When family emergencies happen, like a child’s after-school activity being canceled, it isn’t an issue to take care of it,” said Heidi.

“The biggest way families are involved at Sentry is people actually ask about your family,” said Mikaela. “Many of my coworkers ask me about my son on a regular basis. Other coworkers with sons just a little older than mine generously bring in toys and clothes for me that their boys are done with.”

Benefits that focus on work-life balance

Sentry Equipment offers excellent benefits beyond healthcare and retirement, including:

· Flexible work schedules based on job function, including summer hours

· Paid personal and sick time

· Supplemental pay for active military duty

· Availability to work remotely depending on job function

· Company-sponsored meals, events, holiday parties, and more

Other benefits, such as paid volunteer hours and a flexible spending account for daycare costs, further support working parents in caring for their families. One of the most significant ways Sentry supports employee-owners and their families is through the on-site health clinic. “Our flexibility, remote work capability, and onsite health clinic are all big benefits that promote balance,” said Mikaela.

Flexibility when it matters most

Outside of work, Heidi volunteers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) outreach activities, along with volunteering at her children’s school and chaperoning school trips. Sentry’s flexible work schedules and family-friendly culture allows her to do all of these activities. “Sentry allows me the flexibility I need to integrate work with family and with outside interests, and gives me the flexibility to adjust work hours to meet my needs as they come up,” she said.

Mikaela first experienced this flexibility after she returned to work after having her son, when she collaborated with her manager to develop a return-to-work plan that worked for both of them. She continues to appreciate this flexibility to start and end her day based on what works best for her family’s schedule. It also lets her adjust her work schedule when her son gets sick or has a doctor’s appointment. This was particularly important when her son was hospitalized for several days last year with RSV, a potentially serious respiratory virus, which coincided with a large presentation at work related to her recent promotion.

“My manager didn’t even bat an eye and told me not to worry about any of that because my son came first. They told me to just check in when and if I felt comfortable. That was huge for me,” she said. “Sentry has been wonderful in allowing me to balance my family and work.”

A meaningful work culture

Sentry’s culture is built on more than just employee-ownership, work-life balance and great benefits – it’s built on great people supporting each other every day.

“Sentry’s culture is welcoming, warm and family-like; it allows me to bring my whole authentic self to work, including my family and passion to promote STEM,” said Heidi.

After four years at Sentry, Mikaela feels she’s found coworkers – and a family.

“I’ve never worked anywhere else where I’ve felt so much a part of a team and worked with people who genuinely care about me. When I have success, my coworkers cheer me on. When I have a bad day, they support me. And when I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed about work or life, they check in on me and ask how they can help lighten my load. It’s truly an amazing culture to be a part of,” she said.

Discover the benefits of working at Sentry.

At Sentry, we strive to serve our customers by hiring the best talent to join our collaborative, positive workplace. Are you a looking for a rewarding job with great work-life balance and benefits? Visit https://sentry-equip.com/careers to find your next career move.