Finding Balance Between the Critical Few and the Trivial Too Many

As vice president of Wafer Fabrication Operations at Western Digital, Maitreyee Mahajani leads an operation that is responsible for producing a share of the world’s flash memory. 

In this role, Maitreyee is a part of a global team, collaborating with team members based in the U.S. and Japan in meetings spanning time zones. Her days can be packed with back-to-back meetings, but Maitreyee makes it a point to set boundaries around her working hours to ensure that she has time not only for work, but also for other responsibilities.

“I have to think about what the important meetings are, what can be delegated and what can be done at a different time,” explains Maitreyee.

Maitreyee developed this strategic approach over time as she navigated growing her career while raising her family. “I have two kids, and I’ve been a working mom all their life,” she says.

An engineer by training, Maitreyee began her career in research and development. She joined the company 10 years ago, drawn to the opportunity to broaden her experience and gain insight into the world of operations. “What I enjoyed was that not only could I learn operations, but I could also bring something new to the team — I could bring that technology perspective,”  she notes.

Maitreyee has found work to be a source of fulfillment, a place where she is driven to do her best. Even so, she shares how finding balance between the two worlds of work and home had posed challenges, especially when her children were young.

“There’s always that guilt,” says Maitreeyee “Am I doing enough? Am I doing enough at work? Am I doing enough at home?” However, through her experiences, Maitreyee came to understand that work-life balance encompasses an individualized process of determining what takes priority at a particular moment in time.

“In both work and your personal life, Maitreyee suggests that, “You have to ask yourself: ‘What are the critical few versus the trivial too many?’ That’s kind of my mantra. Is this really critical?” 

For anyone who is figuring out what work-life balance means to them, Maitreyee offers a message of self-compassion:“We tend to have expectations in our work life and in our personal life. We try to do our best in both. It’s a lot of pressure and a lot of stress.”

“Sometimes, we are our hardest judge,” she says. “Realizing this, and working to not put these unrealistic expectations on ourselves, will help us get to work-life balance.” 

Finding work-life balance at Western Digital.

Western Digital recognizes the demands that employees may face as they balance responsibilities at work and in their personal lives. The company empowers employees with the tools and support they need to succeed across all areas of their lives, offering comprehensive benefits, including up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave for all regular U.S. employees. 

To impart the importance of work-life balance, Western Digital’s You Matter program is dedicated to helping employees take care of their overall well-being with four pillars focused on health, financial, emotional and lifestyle topics. Some of the many offerings include:

• On-site health clinics at several locations, with a holistic and integrated approach to care, providing services such as primary care, care management, physical medicine and behavioral health. 

• On-site gym facilities at some locations, and global access to virtual fitness classes. 

• Weekly mindfulness sessions teaching practical techniques to decompress and effectively manage stress and anxiety. 

• A multi-language, on-demand mental health training course available in all countries. 

• Global employee assistance program available in all countries to provide employees and their household members with access to a range of work/life resources, including counseling.

At Western Digital, our people are our greatest asset. We believe work-life balance is essential for our employees to do their best, and we aim to cultivate an environment that reflects this belief. 

Join our teams to discover what balance looks like at Western Digital.

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