What work-life balance looks like at Capital One

Evan Baker was burned out. After six years at a law firm in Dallas, he’d only taken one week-long vacation. During trials, he often left home before his then-1-year-old daughter was awake and returned after she went to bed.

Evan wanted predictable workloads, stable hours and flexibility so he could spend time with his family, run and travel. A friend sold him on Capital One’s stable hours and investment in its associates wellbeing. Evan applied and has been here since 2015.

“I don’t view work-life balance as a binary thing,” said Evan, vice president and chief counsel of Auto Finance. “It’s not about spending eight straight hours working. It’s about Capital One giving me space and trust. I get my work done, but I also schedule it around important and not-so-important moments, like having lunch with my wife.”

Discover how Capital One supports Evan and other associates in prioritizing work-life harmony.

Ownership of your schedule

Mora’s calendar swerves between meetings with vendors that support Capital One debit cards to driving her 16-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter to school and activities. The autonomy in her schedule is a major reason Mora, an operations manager for Retail Bank, has worked at Capital One since 2003.

She can step away for quarterly visits with her therapist, which are covered by our Employee Assistance Program, and for longer stretches of time, like for her annual trip to the beach. And Mora has the same flexibility to step away during unexpected moments, like when her children get sick.

“I shape my days in a way that fits my life,” Mora said. “Things are going to come up. My kids are going to get sick. I know I can prioritize my life, and my team will support me however they can.”

Evan adjusts his schedule to start and finish later in the day so he can read to his three kids’ classes or dress up as their school mascot—a bronco—in the morning. He has time during the week to go for long runs as part of his marathon training.

And Evan is much better about taking full weeks off work than he was before joining Capital One. In 2022, his family spent a week in Maine. He didn’t check his email or any other work communication while away.

“Capital One wants us to be great, and they know I can only be great if I’m getting time away,” Evan said. “I quickly learned that people get annoyed if you respond to any message while you’re supposed to be off.”

Establish boundaries

When Ali, an associate in our Cyber Security Development Program, started at Capital One in 2021, he knew our emphasis on work-life balance meant he could frequently go hiking in Shenandoah National Park. What he's since come to appreciate is how our culture also empowers him to practice setting boundaries by establishing his own priorities and schedules.

Leaders routinely tell Ali to decline meetings if he has more pressing projects. They encourage him to block time so he can help small businesses beef up their cyber security as part of Capital One Pro Bono and earn certifications in cloud technologies.

“I can grow in my career. I can volunteer. I can take significant time off,” Ali said. “I can do all this while still working from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There’s a balance here where you can be driven and successful without sacrificing anything.”

Time to pursue interests

Mora’s predictable workload and flexible schedule gave her the time to pursue opportunities to uplift the community.

“I have the time and energy to try new things because I can leave work at work,” Mora said. “I’m not working long hours or facing a lot of unexpected crises that drain me.”

She joined a local chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., a historically Black sorority. Mora served on the leadership team to plan a financial wellness event for her local community. She also helped with donation drives for school supplies, non-perishable food and wellness items for women.

“Life at Capital One is about more than work,” she said. “It’s about giving us the strength and power to make all aspects of our lives better.”