FLEXIBLE WORKING IN HOME OFFICE

My name is Laurence and I am currently working as a component specialist in the Electronic Platform department of Product Line Electronics. I re-use my semiconductor industry experience to steer the electronic component strategy for active ICs (integrated circuits) and new wide-bandgap semiconductors.

My main responsibilities are the assessment of supplier portfolio and strategy in terms of technology and package as well as the assessment of component reliability and quality versus our mission profile. 

How do you manage your work-life balance?

Difficult question given that we have been working mainly in home office for nearly one year. We tend to work more in home office, with overloaded agendas leaving almost no time for breaks. I have decided to block my calendar to ensure two hours of lunch break once per week and to avoid late meetings once per week. I have also organized my “office” at home with good light and in a separate room to not mix work and private space.

I enjoy working from home for the efficiency increase as well as for the avoidance of commuting time and stress. But I really miss meeting my colleagues, the discussions in front of the coffee machine, the group meetings. After the pandemic, we will have to find a good balance between working from home and onsite.

After work, I like gardening. I like to watch flowers and trees grow. My other hobby is reading. I read “real" paper books from many genres, but I never read any books about science. When I read, I want to cut from the scientific domain.

Do you have a career tip that you would like to share?

In my career, I have worked in many different positions like manufacturing, quality, and development. I would recommend three main tips:

Dare: Do not hesitate to accept new challenges, new positions, new opportunities. You will learn. Your competencies will grow. The company will benefit from your wide range of competencies. I once was on the directors' board of my daughter's music school. Dealing with musicians was a very interesting experience and a totally different world from engineering.
Respect: A keyword for me. No matter what, you have to respect others. People will respect you only if you respect them.
Enjoy: I like to have fun in my work life. Humor is a great stress relief and it helps me to “recharge my battery”.
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