In the fall of 2015, my partner and I moved from California, where I worked as a senior research analyst for the University of California (UC), Davis Medical School, to Florida. We did this to take care of my aging mother. I continued to work remotely for UC Davis but began to explore local employment options.
I grew up in Florida, so I already knew about L3Harris. Great choice, right? Sure! But because I'm part of the LGBTQ+ community, I needed to do more research. I noticed that L3Harris was included in many of the award lists that were most important to me, including top companies for people of color, best overall places to work, great work/life balance and, most important to me, best companies for LGBTQ+ folks. I was a bit skeptical.
I started asking around, and to my surprise, it seemed to be true. I applied for a job. During one of my interviews, I asked if the company covered my partner’s health insurance. I was enthusiastically assured that my manager encouraged everyone to be themselves and that the company supported diversity of all kinds. Oh, and yes, we both would be covered by insurance. Wow! I was thrilled and went home with the good news. A few days later, I accepted the job offer.
I can’t speak to everyone’s experience, but overall, I always feel like I can be myself, am able to talk about my family the same way others do and feel truly accepted. It's hard for me to express the gratitude I feel every time I'm asked about my weekends or vacations and I'm able to answer without worry.
I am proud to work for a company that takes diversity, equity and inclusion seriously. It's the right thing to do and it is a smart business decision. Truthfully, I would not have applied for any position with L3Harris without first knowing the culture was inclusive and supportive. As a technical worker, I have lots of choices for places to work. I'm sure everyone who chooses L3Harris also has other options. Our corporate culture matters, and how we treat one another matters. I'm proud to tell people that I work here, that I support our mission and that I can be authentically me.
