NORWOOD, Mass., May, 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — The Norwood,
Massachusetts facility of Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics (NYSE:
SI) was honored today with a ‘Patriot Award’ and an ‘Above and
Beyond Award’ from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve
(ESGR), a Department of Defense agency. Both recognitions stem from
a nomination submitted by a Norwood employee returning to work
following a year-long deployment to Europe with the U.S. Navy,
where she worked as a laboratory technician to help treat soldiers,
sailors, marines, and airmen injured in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO)
Patriot Awards go to employers who practice leadership and
implement personnel policies that support employee participation in
the U.S. National Guard and Reserve. Given in more limited
quantities, Above and Beyond Awards are then given to those
companies who also go above and beyond the legal requirements for
granting leave and providing support for military duty by their
employees.(1)
For Siemens employee and mother-of-two, Michele McKeon, this
support included being allowed a flexible work schedule that
enabled her to pursue training as a Chief Petty Officer upon return
from deployment, as well as rejoin Siemens full time as a technical
support specialist for hematology and urinalysis systems in the
company’s Technical Solutions Center. McKeon acknowledges that she
struggled to readjust to civilian life, but was encouraged to seek
counseling and outside help by her Siemens supervisors, who also
fully supported her throughout the process.
“I cannot say enough about Siemens,” said McKeon, who served in
the U.S. Army for 12 years before joining the Navy. “They have
supported me through a year-long deployment with packages and
videos and when I came home, they welcomed me with open arms. Their
dedication to me and my family
‘/>”/>
