Work-Life Balance at Mammotome
The rise of COVID-19 changed our lives as we knew it. Throughout the pandemic, we learned to work, socialize and live differently than before. As a result, we’ve become better at building relationships, communicating and working together regardless of proximity. We’ve witnessed that working remotely does not impact our ability to deliver results. At Mammotome, we put our learning over the past few years to practical use to shape the future of work by offering hybrid and remote work positions. Continue reading to learn how our associates have come to value the flexibility provided by Mammotome.
Let’s start off by introducing Zach Geiger and Heather Wilson.
Zach Geiger, Americas Surgical Equipment Product Manager
I grew up in Michigan and am an avid University of Michigan fan. My family and I have recently moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, to begin a new chapter in our lives as my wife begins a new position at Primary Children’s Hospital. I enjoy the outdoors, which includes mountain biking, snowboarding, hiking and camping. I also grew up playing tennis so any and all racquet sports are my jam.
Heather Wilson, Staff Packaging Engineer
I’m from Temecula, California, and I moved to San Diego six years ago. My hobbies are swimming, mountain biking, running, camping, and anything outside in the sunshine with my pup!
What attracted you to pursue a role at Mammotome and why is it a good fit for you?
Zach Geiger, Americas Surgical Equipment Product Manager
My family and I were moving to Cincinnati and I saw good reviews about Mammotome as a top company in the area to work for. It became a good fit because Mammotome offers a strong culture and a team in which I could grow my career. As a Product Manager at Mammotome, I manage our OR portfolio with a focus on the Neoprobe® Gamma Detection System and the Sentimag® Localization Platform. As a Product Manager, I am like the ‘CEO’ of these products. Anything and everything related to these products is in scope for me to manage.
Heather Wilson, Staff Packaging Engineer
As a Staff Packaging Engineer at Mammotome, I develop packaging systems for both sterile and non-sterile products used during breast biopsy procedures. I was attracted to pursue a role at Mammotome because I was looking for an opportunity to grow, share knowledge about sterile barrier packaging and learn a new type of medical device. It is a good fit for me because the people and values of the company are what I am looking for in a fulfilling career.
How do you define work-life balance? What does it look like for you and why is it important?
Zach Geiger, Americas Surgical Equipment Product Manager
Work-life balance for me is when I’m fully engaged and highly productive at work, but then I’m also able to sometimes turn off from work and truly unplug. In our super-connected world, it is easy to always carry a cell phone and check email, etc. This is one of the reasons why I enjoy camping because it is usually off the grid, so it forces me to unplug.
Heather Wilson, Staff Packaging Engineer
Work-life balance is spending the time at work, working hard to make a difference in the lives of others, and life is getting out there and enjoying the things that make you happy! Work hard—play hard. I find when I properly balance work and life, I am more productive, motivated and passionate about my job!
How has Mammotome supported you in accomplishing your work responsibilities and personal commitments?
Zach Geiger, Americas Surgical Equipment Product Manager
Mammotome has provided solid training and utilization of the Danaher Business Systems to help me better accomplish standard work tasks. Mammotome was also incredibly supportive of my required move with my family to Salt Lake City to become a remote employee. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to work with the talented team I am a part of, even though I am no longer local in Cincinnati.
Heather Wilson, Staff Packaging Engineer
Mammotome has supported me with day-to-day work tasks and responsibilities outside of work by providing a flexible work schedule. With the hybrid environment of employees local to Cincinnati, there is an understanding that life must happen too (i.e., dogs barking, doorbells). Typically, this just requires a little extra coordination to accommodate availability, but it always seems to work out! If I start early, I end early and can spend that time enjoying the outdoors!
What is your day to day like as a remote associate?
Zach Geiger, Americas Surgical Equipment Product Manager
Since I live in the mountain time zone, I usually start my workday at 7 a.m. MST. I try to get most of the high-focus projects or tasks done in the mornings when I am most rested and mentally refreshed. In the afternoon, I usually have meetings with various teams. The value of the remote workday is that I can recharge and take a quick 15-minute walk if needed between meetings. Also, the kitchen is sometimes too close, so I must be careful with that (jokes).
Heather Wilson, Staff Packaging Engineer
Every day is different! Some days are early days, but most days I get up early to work out and log on after. Lunch is usually quick, but I take a longer break in the afternoon after the Cincinnati team logs off to take my dog to the beach or go for a run while the sun is up. Roberto (Mammotome Senior Staff Packaging Engineer) is also in the PST time zone, so he and I can collaborate in the afternoons without meetings. There are also later calls with our team in China one night a week.
How has becoming a new father changed your outlook on the importance of balancing your personal and work lives?
Zach Geiger, Americas Surgical Equipment Product Manager
Sleep has become a much more precious resource and work-life balance is more important than ever. Being remote allows me to spend more time with our newborn son as I do not need to spend time commuting daily. I also appreciate Mammotome’s parental leave policy, as it has allowed me to take time off and step away from the day to day during this special time. I can use the eight weeks throughout my son’s first year, so I have the flexibility to take the time to be there for the important milestones and when best for our family.
What were the challenges and highlights of relocating out west? What was the process like with Mammotome?
Zach Geiger, Americas Surgical Equipment Product Manager
The biggest challenge is moving to a new city as an adult and not knowing many people. This is even more difficult when your place of employment is not located there. Fortunately, my wife, an attending physician, met people at the hospital, and we have been able to meet new people and make new friends already.
The highlight is living five minutes from the base of the mountains, which is amazing to see every day.
Finally, Mammotome was incredibly supportive of my family to make this move and has continued to foster my growth as a Product Manager. My team is conscious of making it a point to hold quarterly in-person meetings at a minimum to keep us connected.
What are the challenges and highlights of working as an engineer remotely?
Heather Wilson, Staff Packaging Engineer
One of the major challenges is that there are fewer hours to work with the entire team online due to the different time zones.
One of the main highlights of working remotely as an engineer is the ability to work anywhere that has Wi-Fi! My sister lives in Idaho and my nephew is fifteen months old, so I have been able to visit and spend more time with them without using my vacation time.
Has working remotely made it easier to collaborate with our production team in Tijuana?
Heather Wilson, Staff Packaging Engineer
Yes, being in California means I can see the Mammotome Tijuana team often to collaborate which has accelerated my ability to learn more about our manufacturing facility. Many of our suppliers are local to Tijuana as well, so I have been able to establish a face-to-face relationship with them.