Service in the military reserve is an honor and a highly unique experience, but it also represents a significant commitment of a person’s time and energy. Reservists are committed to serving at least one weekend a month and two weeks each year to carry out a separate set of duties and responsibilities apart from our civilian roles.
Part of this responsibility involves being ready to deploy on short notice when called to support our Nation. I'm a pilot and a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserves, and a member of the Envestnet® | Yodlee® sales team. Just four months after I joined Envestnet | Yodlee — I received such a phone call, informing me that I was being restored to active duty status for an eight month deployment overseas. Rarely is there ever a convenient time to receive such news, and this was no exception. In addition to having just joined the team, I would need to leave my expectant wife and our two-year-old son at home.
Needless to say, it was a challenging time for my family. There’s also not a convenient time for a publicly traded company to lose an employee for eight months, and as soon as I received my orders – I reluctantly scheduled time with my supervisor, Julie Solomon, SVP of Institutional Sales, to make her aware of the news. To my relief, she became an immediate advocate, focusing primarily on my personal needs, and the needs of my family. Julie garnered awareness and support from our leadership team, and said, "this is the challenge we've been faced with in the department, these are the plans I've put into place to mitigate Ross' time away, and these are the ways that we plan to care for him and his family while he's gone."
This was particularly critical as it was the first time the company had been faced with a deploying Reservist. Once deployed, and while serving our Country – Julie served my family. She sent me care packages while overseas and often checked-in with my wife, writing cards and emails. She made sure that our health insurance coverage remained intact, and that our retirement matching continued.
Best of all, Envestnet | Yodlee was good enough to make-up the difference in my pay for the length of my deployment. All the while, Julie had an opportunity to hire an additional person to cover my position while I was away, but elected not to. Instead, she committed to covering my position herself, even as an SVP of the company, to ensure that my position remained available upon my return home. Julie's commitment to me and my family went above and beyond what is required for employers in this situation.
I’ll always be grateful for this, and was proud to nominate Julie for the Office of the Secretary of Defense Patriot Award. The award recognizes the efforts made by employers to support Reservists and National Guard members while on active duty, including granting flexible schedules, giving time off before and after deployment, and caring for families. I was more than happy to nominate Julie Solomon because she represents the high standards of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) program, and I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of an organization that cares for their employees in the way that Envestnet | Yodlee does. To learn more about career opportunities at Envestnet | Yodlee, an organization that supports a growing, thriving environment through its commitment to employees and customers, please visit: https://www.yodlee.com/company/careers
