How LexisNexis is Changing the Game for Women in the Workplace

A leading global provider of legal, regulatory and business information and analytics, LexisNexis Legal & Professional aims to increase customers’ productivity, improve decision-making and outcomes, and advance the rule of law around the world.

Legal, corporate, government and nonprofit organizations in more than 160 countries with more than 10,400 employees turn to the company to improve decision-making and achieve better business outcomes. For example, the company facilitates lawyers’ processes by offering them access to billions of documents and records from more than 69,000 business, news, and legal sources. So they can work more efficiently, better serve their clients, win cases, and ultimately grow their practices. It also assists corporations in better understanding their markets and preventing bribery and corruption within their supply chains. It does so by partnering with leading global associations and customers to collect evidence against war criminals and provide tools to combat human trafficking.

LexisNexis has five core values that define the way it works as a company and that shed light on why it succeeds:

1. Customer Focus: “Everything we do is driven by our customers’ needs. We want to be their indispensable partner. We have a passion for understanding and exceeding our customers’ expectations. We are committed to providing demonstrably superior products and services with the highest level of quality and excellence. We are professional in all our customer dealings. We are highly valued and respected by our customers.

2. Valuing our People: “We put the highest priority on recruiting, developing and retaining outstanding people. Our managers are directly responsible for the development of their people. We recognize and reward achievement. We enjoy what we do and we celebrate success. We empower our people to maximize their potential and contribution. We respect our people and believe in open and honest communication. We behave in an ethical and principled manner. 

3. Passion for Winning: “We are determined to outperform and beat the competition. We always want to be the best. We are a high-energy, fast-moving, decisive organization. We have a strong propensity for action. We always execute well and deliver. We set aggressive goals and strive to beat them. We hold ourselves and each other accountable for outstanding results. 

4. Innovation: “We welcome and push change; we challenge the status quo. We encourage our people to be entrepreneurial, take some risks and learn from mistakes. We are ready to make bold moves and decisions. We constantly look for new ideas, and value ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking. We keep things simple and minimize bureaucracy.

5. Boundarylessness: “We welcome the global nature of our business and encourage people to work collaboratively across business units, hierarchy and functions. We constantly strive to break down barriers between organizations. Our people are supportive of each other. We seek partnerships with customers and suppliers.”
   
   

But LexisNexis isn’t only focused on its customers. It also looks inward and practices what it preaches for its own employees. For example, LexisNexis offers competitive and comprehensive benefits packages including medical, dental, and vision coverage, as well as flexible retirement plans. LexisNexis benefits and resources are designed to help each employee protect their health, manage their money, and secure their financial futures. It boasts everything from the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and paid time off for Employee Resource Group (ERG) participation to paid volunteer time, a 10-week employee wellness toolkit, a Modern Family Benefits package, and a 14-week LexisNexis Encore paid return-to-work program.

“As a working mom with three children, I can imagine it would be difficult to re-enter the workforce after taking a break,” says Ashleigh Owens, VP of human resources. “It was hard for me to restart after maternity leave(s) and, sometimes, even after a busy weekend with my family. LexisNexis has programs like Encore that invites and welcomes professionals in a program specifically designed to help that transition be as smooth as possible.”

Women seem to love the benefits at the company. The company even offers a mentoring program for women in senior roles and for women in technology. Thanks to all of that, coupled with its best practices to prevent unconscious bias in recruiting processes and workplace practices, there’s a wealth of advantages.

“My favorite perks about LexisNexis are the flexibility, work-life balance, and collaborative, supportive culture,” says Tabbi Fink, the university programs lead. “Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, our leaders acted swiftly to shift a majority of the workforce to work remotely, keeping our safety top priority. I am very thankful for the number of resources to provide support during these challenging times.”

Other women at the company agree.

“This past year was a trying time for everyone,” says Gretchen R. Bakhshai, SVP of commercial and head of business development at Knowable. “Knowable recognized that and did everything within their power to keep our teams and culture intact. When days were hard, leaders were visible and engaged, checking on our people and providing support. It’s the people that make this company different and the feeling of being in it together is the reason I’m here.”

Being in it together is the reason many women stay with the company. It prides itself on its resources, support, and career development opportunities for its women in the workplace.

“As a female employee at LexisNexis, I will use three words to describe my experience: free, possibilities, and recognition,” says Faye Shen, marketing coordinator of segment marketing, who has been with the company for 17 years. “In these years, I was free to explore my career path. I have worked as an administrative assistant, a content production coordinator, a proofreader, a graphic designer, and, finally, I found my passion in marketing. Some believe a career path is a ladder, and some believe it’s a jungle gym.”

Whatever the case, she adds that there are all kinds of possibilities at LexisNexis because the company believes in “build one dream, one team together.” After all, LexisNexis touts its people as its strength. Its workforce of over 10,400 people (which is 52/46/2 female, male, and not declared) work for the company, on average, for nearly a decade. Plus, 46 percent of managers are female and 33 percent of senior operational managers at RELX, our parent company, are female. Women make up 36 percent of the members of the RELX Board, as well. And, in its most recent graduate intake, 40 percent of the 91 new employees were female at LexisNexis.

“I hold many identities and I consider them all as important aspects of my life and they mold me, my choices, and my opportunities,” adds Joanne Henderson, senior manager of talent acquisition. “I am a professional, I am a woman, I am a black woman, I am a mother. Working at LexisNexis has given me room to embrace all of me so I can thrive in my career. I have strong female leaders within the company that have helped me on my journey. I have a network within our Women’s Connected ERG and African Ancestry ERG that give me opportunities to both learn and to give of myself to support other women within the organization. The company respects, embraces, and supports my personal ambitions and commitments so I remain refreshed and motivated to do what I love to do every day." 

It’s no surprise that LexisNexis is recognized as a top place for women to work. It’s listed in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index and ranks in the top 10 percent of other companies in the United States with 10,000+ employees for Gender Score on Comparably. Specifically, LexisNexis won Comparably’s “Best Company for Women 2020.” It was also awarded 2020 “Best CEOs for Diversity,” “Best Leadership Teams,” and “Best Company for Professional Development.” And it received a perfect 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI).

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