Father Time

I can appreciate this incredible bonding time now and hopefully have a long career at the firm — so what's six weeks in the grand scheme of things.

As a "future business leader of America" at Lacy Township High School, Mark Philips knew he would go into accounting. "I like structured thinking and telling a story through financial data," says Philips. It was at a College of NJ career fair that Philips met with representatives of the New Jersey Division of Taxation. He joined the Office of Criminal Investigation and investigated individual, sales and use, and cigarette tax fraud cases, including joint insurance fraud investigations.

In 2005, Philips took a course in state and local taxation (SALT) that altered his career trajectory. "The class covered day-to-day tax issues in business, court cases, controversy and applying the law — it was eye-opening," he recalls. Philips obtained a conferee position at the New Jersey Division of Taxation in the Conference and Appeal Branch. "We heard administrative appeals for companies," he comments.

By 2008, Philips was at a crossroads. It was around this time that the New Jersey State government was cutting benefits and freezing promotions and he was hungry to learn more, quicker. That same year, Philips joined KPMG where he became a specialist on New Jersey tax issues. "Having the CPA designation was a huge help when I entered public accounting."

One of the reasons Philips feels he's found a home at KPMG is the firm's approach to work-life balance initiatives. "My wife Erene and I had a boy, Gabriel, in June. KPMG's paternity leave program lets me take up to six weeks off at 100-percent pay within six months of the child’s birth, provided the other parent is back at work for four of those weeks," says the Middletown resident. "Erene’s ecstatic about the leave. I can really bond with Gabriel, plus he isn't the best sleeper, so I can pick up from where my wife left off in getting him into a routine."

"Right now, I'm perfecting my swaddling technique," Philips notes. "I look forward to us going to the park, running errands and visiting Gabriel's 91-year-old great grandmother Evone."

Philips tied up his loose ends at work before the paternity leave. "I scheduled the leave after my busy season," he says. "I've created an Excel file that has all of my projects, who the partner is on each project, any staff on each account and the project's status. I've distributed the spreadsheet to everyone who needs to know."

Far removed from the days when the dad could enjoy a cigar outside the delivery room and then go back to work in a day or two, Philips thinks KPMG's paternity leave policy simply makes good business sense.