“We need you more than you need us. The value and the contributions, and what you bring to the company, are more important than what we bring to you.”


- Lauren Youngdahl, Consumers Energy

Consumers Energy is challenging the status quo when it comes to Parental Leave Policies. Lauren Youngdahl, Vice President of Customer Experience, and Executive Sponsor of Consumer Energy’s Women’s Advisory Resource Group, spoke with us about the new parental leave policy that was recently unveiled. There was an internal resounding drumbeat that 6-8 weeks paid leave was not enough. Advocates for a new policy did their due diligence, gathered data and built a business case for revolutionizing the company’s policy. Having a CEO like Patti Poppe who fosters a People First culture helped push buy in and adoption of the policy.