Laclede Group

"Lots of women in all departments, including engineering/technical depts, and the few women in production seem to be supported well."

"The female CEO is progressive, but women & minorities are under-represented in executive leadership & management positions (most energy companies are still male-dominated). There is a significant wage gap, with some women making 50% of what their male counterparts make. Women are less likely to be chosen as managers, and when they are chosen, are less likely to advance to Directors. In some areas, there may be only one female manager or director, and 4 male directors. There is no excuse for a 1 to 4 ratio in leadership. Talented employees (of both genders) are regularly overlooked, in favor of external hires. There is no true succession planning, no management training, and no formal mentoring what-so-ever. Many salaried employees work 50-60 hour weeks, with little work-life balance. The company is growing rapidly, through acquisitions (Missouri Gas & Electric in 2013, Alabama Gas in 2014) and is now the 5th largest utility in the US. The office environment is crowded, but there are designated lactation rooms and “health” rooms. Healtchare (Anthem Blue Cross) is mediocre. The healthcare reimbursement plan is a nightmare of paperwork and a huge chunk of providers are “out of network” (means you pay 40% of the bill, out of pocket). Human Resources is not particularly responsive and payroll is regularly incorrect (wrong taxes, wrong 401K match, wrong child care withholdings). Fertility care and adoptions are somewhat covered now, and the employer does recognize “domestic partnerships” for beneits. Overall, a C+ employer for ambitious women."