Ane: Flexibility is key – in work-life-balance as well as in my career

I guess you could say I was born and raised in Deloitte, laughs Ane. 
She has worked in Deloitte for 14 years, having started at the age of 21 when she moved from Bornholm to study in Copenhagen.
When I entered this place as a young person, I enjoyed all the fun and social events they provide here, and slowly my entire life became connected to and built around it. Many of my friends work or have worked in Deloitte, and I even met my husband here. The longer I stay, the more Deloitte means to me. It has become a part of who I am – and I am proud to say I am a Deloitte employee.

Even though the Deloitte family is important to Ane, she also has a family of her own to take care of. She and her husband have twins, aged 7, and sometimes working out the logistics at home can be challenging.
Since I became a mum, I’ve had to implement certain routines, actively shaping my workday to fit the life of being a parent. I leave around 4 pm every day to pick up the kids, and then work again from home in the evening when I need to. In Deloitte, you have the flexibility and freedom to do that. It’s possible to make things work if you have self-discipline and are prepared to create the framework for it yourself by communicating openly about your needs. Of course it isn’t always easy to leave your hardworking colleagues early, but then again, you just have to accept that you are at different points in your lives.
Nevertheless, Ane points out that these differences are embraced in the unique solidarity that characterises Deloitte as a community:
Everyone respects each other regardless of whether they are new or ’grew up’ here. People are open minded and interested in each other. We talk about family and life’s ups and downs. This place embraces that: being a human, with everything that comes with it. We want to know: ’Who are the people we are working with?’

To Ane, however, flexibility isn’t just about work-life-balance. It is also about the opportunity to choose the path that suits your individual dreams and ambitions – at any time. Ane wanted to become a CPA and she graduated last autumn.
It was a big challenge for me, but Deloitte was very supportive all the way through. Becoming a CPA was the culmination of 13 years of professional and personal development. I have gained a great deal of confidence and a much better idea of what I want to do with my career.
And there are a lot of options, according to Ane:
Just because I’m an auditor it doesn’t mean I only do auditing. All doors are open in Deloitte. That might seem a little scary or confusing, but if you dare to dream and work for it, you will have endless opportunities to create the future you want. You can end up in all kinds of places within the company – that’s actually something we see quite often. In Deloitte, development is not only about advancing but also the possibility of changing paths and building competences in new professional areas.

Personally, Ane has not quite figured out where she wants to go from here.
Right now, I enjoy being where I am and my primary focus is on short-term goals. But who knows, maybe in two years I will want to move in another direction to pursue bigger goals. No matter what, I can always count on having someone to support me. People want to help other people develop in Deloitte. That’s what we make a living from: developing our employees and giving them the best conditions to grow.