• Monika Michaliszyn juggles a demanding career as VF Corporation’s Global VP, Internal Audit, with duties as mom to two young boys.

• Michaliszyn credits VF’s flexible work schedule, which allows her to occasionally work from home, for helping her find balance at work and home.

• Michaliszyn considers her work associates a part of her extended family, the reason she finds time to mentor others and oversee the EMEA Inclusion Network.

Monika Michaliszyn is well acquainted with working-mom guilt.

Working from VF Corporation’s office in Stabio, Switzerland, Michaliszyn is Global VP, Internal Audit, managing 60 people across the globe. Her work requires frequent business travel. At the same time, she juggles school conferences, doctor’s appointments, play dates and more as a mom of two young boys, ages 4 years and 11 months.

Relief from the pressures came when VF offered its employees the opportunity to work from home, a benefit Michaliszyn uses at least once a month. She urges others to do the same in order to find work-life balance.

“Working from home allows me to get some catch-up time on emails, but also to do things like breakfast with my boys, school meetings, doctor’s visits, all the things that seem small in the great scheme of things but mean so much to me and my little ones,” said Michaliszyn. “As women, we often live with guilt for one thing or another, as such, working for an organization that supports you along your life journey means a lot.”

Born in communist Poland, Michaliszyn’s family immigrated to the United States when she was 7 years old. She earned an accounting degree and later moved to Milan, Italy to work with KPMG.

Michaliszyn joined VF in 2013 as the company’s Director of Internal Audit.

“Professionally it was the perfect role,” Michaliszyn said. “I love the brands, the company and its values, and as someone who was brought up in the States, working for VF felt like coming home.”

She now finds time to mentor VF associates and oversees the EMEA Inclusion Network with other leaders across Europe.

“You are always being exposed to new ideas, new innovations and meeting new people,” Michaliszyn said. “Many of these people have become my friends. It’s like working for many companies within one, which makes us all one big family.”