KSM Recognized for Creating More Equitable Workplaces

FORT WAYNE – KSM is honored to be recognized in the Women’s Fund of Greater Fort Wayne’s inaugural Allen County Women in the Workplace Report for leading the way in supporting women in the workplace via supportive benefits, inclusive recruitment and hiring, and equitable retention, promotion, and advancement.

The Women’s Fund of Greater Fort Wayne, an initiative of the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, surveyed local employers to better understand what the local employment landscape is like for women – from leadership demographics and compensation to benefits, policies, and hiring practices. The resulting report highlights opportunities for improvement and recognizes employers who are getting it right, including KSM.

“Not only do we have a large female workforce, but we have females in positions that are making decisions,” said Amy Lehrman, managing partner of KSM’s Fort Wayne office. In fact, two-thirds of the office’s executive leadership team (including Lehrman) is female.

Jim Nestor, principal and chief human resources officer for KSM, lends credit to Lehrman for helping foster a culture that is supportive, especially of women. One notable component of this support is flexibility. “We are all supporters of work-life balance. We know there are times employees need to give more of themselves at home, and times they need to give more at work. We try to be very flexible,” Nestor said.

One example of flexibility is allowing employees to return part time for four weeks with full-time pay after maternity leave, which Lehrman describes as a “game-changer” for first-time moms. This is on top of the firm’s longer-standing practice of offering 12 paid weeks for such leaves.

KSM also offers modified work arrangements for employees who want a reduced-hour schedule as well as remote work options.

Twenty-eight employers completed the survey, representing 21,249 employees in the Greater Fort Wayne metro area, 20 of which met the criteria for creating more equitable workplaces in at least one of the following categories: leadership, compensation, supportive benefits and policies, or recruitment and retention.

Read more about how KSM is leading the way in supporting women in the workplace here.