|
From: Working Mother Media, Contact: Kate Fleming
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Working Mother's 100 Best Companies Initiative Celebrates the New
Stereotype of the Working MomYears—long leaves, flex and childcare go
mainstream!
New York, NY (September 25, 2006)—Every day, all across the country,
some women make the difficult choice to quit their jobs to raise their
children. But what if a company tempted her with 144 weeks of
maternity leave? Or offered a full-service lactation program,
complete with access to free pumps, breastfeeding classes and nurse
consultants? Or even a summer camp for her teenager? With a
looming labor shortage, and women compromising a greater percentage of
the workforce than ever before, the 2006 Working Mother 100 Best
Companies are making it a priority to retain these valuable employees.
This year, as Working Mother
magazine names its 21st annual 100 Best Companies, the winners are
proving that it takes more than ever to be among the best. The
addition of 18 new companies attests to the fact that only the most
forward-thinking companies can claim a coveted spot among the 2006
Working Mother 100 Best Companies. And with only three of last
year's Top 10 winners returning to take a place among the elite, it's
clear that America's premier workplaces are constantly raising the
standards for working mothers.
"The 100 Best is coming of age this year!" said Working Mother Media's
CEO and Founder Carol Evans. "No longer a youthful initiative
with the occasional growing pain, the Working Mother 100 Best Companies
is now a confident adult that boldly advocates and celebrates change
for working mothers in the workplace. The 21st century is the
dawn of a new era in which women, who are now more likely to hold
college and advanced degrees than men, are essential to the success of
any company, and forward-thinking companies are doing everything in
their power to foster life-long careers among their women employees."
So just what separates the best from the rest? These companies
are creating a culture that uses policies and benefits to build a new,
positive stereotype of the working mother: a woman who can shape
a customized career that allows her to take on the toughest assignments
or to pass them by for a while, and that declares that her skills and
abilities are as strong and valuable as those of any man.
The 100 Best know that women have different needs. Rather than forcing
them to choose between family and career, these stand-outs are offering
women flexibility without the stigma. Generous leave programs, of
up to five years, let women make family-friendly choices that keep them
on the management track; these "comeback moms" are reshaping the face
of the 100 Best's boardrooms. Plus, flexible hours,
telecommuting, and job-sharing allow moms to find time for home-life
while still fulfilling career ambitions. On-site childcare and
activities for older children mean working mothers don't have to be
stretched thin.
The Best Vs. The Rest
National averages reveal that the Best are head and shoulders above the mainstream:
- 99 % offer flextime plans to employees (compared to 57% nationwide)
- 99% offer telecommuting on a part-time basis (compared to 26% nationwide)
- 99% offer health-care insurance for part-time workers (compared to 39% nationwide)
- 99% offer a fitness-center subsidy (compared to 37% nationwide)
- 98% offer job-sharing (compared to 18% nationwide)
- 98% offer elder-care referral services (compared to 26% nationwide)
- 97% offer child-care resource and referral services (compared to 22% nationwide)
- 96% offer compressed work weeks (compared to 35% nationwide)
- 91% offer adoption assistance services (compared to 22% nationwide)
- 91% boast a lactation program or designated lactation area for new moms (compared to 23% nationwide)
- 87% offer domestic partner benefits (compared to 33% nationwide)
- 73% offer paid adoption leave (compared to 16% nationwide)
- 67% offer paid paternity leave (compared to 13% nationwide)
The 2006 Working Mother 100 Best Companies
ABBOTT, Abbott Park, IL
ACCENTURE, New York, NY
AFLAC INCORPORATED, Columbus, GA
ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY, Northbrook, IL
AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY, New York, NY
ARNOLD & PORTER LLP, Washington, DC
ASTRAZENECA, Wilmington, DE
AVON PRODUCTS, INC., New York, NY
BANK OF AMERICA, Charlotte, NC
BAPTIST HEALTH SOUTH FLORIDA, Coral Gables, FL
BAYER CORPORATION, Pittsburgh, PA
BON SECOURS RICHMOND HEALTH SYSTEM, Richmond, VA
BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON, McLean, VA
THE BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP, Boston, MA
BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB COMPANY, New York, NY
BRONSON HEALTHCARE GROUP, Kalamazoo, MI
CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION, McLean, VA
CARLSON COMPANIES, Minnetonka, MN
CHILDREN'S HEALTHCARE OF ATLANTA, Atlanta, GA
CHILDREN'S MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, Chicago, IL
CITIGROUP INCORPORATED, New York, NY
CJW MEDICAL CENTER, Richmond, VA
COLGATE-PALMOLIVE COMPANY, New York, NY
CORNELL UNIVERSITY, Ithaca, NY
COVINGTON & BURLING LLP, Washington, D.C.
CREDIT SUISSE SECURITIES LLC, New York, NY
DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION, Auburn Hills, MI
DELOITTE & TOUCHE USA LLP, New York, NY
DEUTSCHE BANK, New York, NY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS, INC., Silver Spring, MD
DOW CORNING CORPORATION, Midland, MI
DUPONT COMPANY, Wilmington, DE
ELI LILLY AND COMPANY, Indianapolis, IN
ERNST & YOUNG LLP, New York, NY
FANNIE MAE, Washington, DC
FIRST HORIZON NATIONAL CORPORATION, Memphis, TN
FIRST NATIONAL BANK, Omaha, NE
FORD MOTOR COMPANY, Dearborn, MI
GENENTECH, South San Francisco, CA
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, Fairfield, CT
GENERAL MILLS, Minneapolis, MN
GLAXOSMITHKLINE, Philadelphia, PA
GOLDMAN, SACHS & COMPANY, New York, NY
GRANT THORNTON LLP, Chicago, IL
GURWIN JEWISH GERIATRIC CENTER, Commack, NY
HARVARD UNIVERSITY, Cambridge, MA
HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY, Palo Alto, CA
HSBC-NORTH AMERICA, Prospect Heights, IL
IBM CORPORATION, Armonk, NY
IKEA, Plymouth Meeting, PA
INOVA HEALTH SYSTEM, Falls Church, VA
JFK MEDICAL CENTER, Atlantis, FL
JOHNSON & JOHNSON, New Brunswick, NJ
JPMORGAN CHASE, New York, NY
KELLOGG COMPANY, Battle Creek, MI
KPMG LLP, New York, NY
KRAFT FOODS INCORPORATED, Northfield, IL
LEGO SYSTEMS INCORPORATED, Enfield, CT
LEHMAN BROTHERS, New York, NY
MASSACUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL, Boston, MA
MASSACHUSETTS MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, Springfield, MA
THE McGRAW-HILL COMPANIES, New York, NY
MERCK & COMPANY INCORPORATED, Whitehouse Station, NJ
MERCY HEALTH SYSTEM, Jamesville, WI
METLIFE INCORPORATED, Long Island City, NY
MICROSOFT CORPORATION, Redmond, WA
MORGAN STANLEY, New York, NY
MOTOROLA INCORPORATED, Schaumburg, IL
NORTHERN TRUST CORPORATION, Chicago, IL
NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE, Chicago, IL
NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION, East Hanover, NJ
PATAGONIA INCORPORATED, Ventura, CA
PEARSON EDUCATION, Upper Saddle River, NJ
PFIZER INCORPORATED, New York, NY
THE PHOENIX COMPANIES, INCORPORATED, Hartford, CT
PILLSBURY WINTHROP SHAW PITTMAN LLP, San Francisco, CA
PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP, INC., Pittsburgh, PA
PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP, New York, NY
PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP, Des Moines, IA
THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY, Cincinnati, OH
PROVIDENCE ALASKA MEDICAL CENTER, Anchorage, AK
PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL, Newark, NJ
REPUBLIC BANCORP INCORPORATED, Owosso, MI
RODALE INCORPORATED, Emmaus, PA
RSM MCGLADREY INCORPORATED, Bloomington, MN
S.C. JOHNSON & SON INCORPORATED, Racine, WI
SCHERING-PLOUGH, Kenilworth, NJ
SCRIPPS HEALTH, San Diego, CA
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED, Dallas, TX
THE TIMBERLAND COMPANY, Stratham, NH
TRIHEALTH, Cincinnati, OH
TURNER BROADCASTING SYSTEM, INC., Atlanta, GA
UBS, New York, NY
UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD, Omaha, NE
VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS/VERIZON WIRELESS, Bedminster, NJ
WACHOVIA CORPORATION, Charlotte, NC
WELLS FARGO & COMPANY, San Francisco, CA
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS, Morgantown, WV
WYETH, Madison, NJ
YALE-NEW HAVEN HOSPITAL, New Haven, CT
Methodology: Companies completed a 500+-question application with
detailed questions about the workforce, compensation, child-care and
flexibility programs, leave policies, and more. It was not
enough, however, for companies to talk about what they do:
Working Mother examined the use, availability, and tracking of
programs, as well as the accountability of managers to ensure that the
best are doing a lot more than paying lip-service to their employee
moms. Seven areas were measured and scored to choose the 2006
winning companies: workforce profile, compensation, child care,
flexibility, time off and leaves, family-friendly programs and company
culture. For this year's 100 Best, Working Mother gave particular
weight to flex and time off.
A complete list of Working Mother magazine's 2006 100 Best Companies can be found at www.workingmother.com.
Contact: Kate Fleming
The Rosen Group
212.255.8455
kate@rosengrouppr.com
Founded in 1979, Working Mother
magazine reaches nearly 3 million readers and is the only national
magazine for career-committed mothers. Its 21-year signature
initiative, Working Mother 100 Best Companies, is the most important
benchmark for work/life practices in corporate America. The
publication also releases the annual list of the Best Companies for
Women of Color in the June issue. Working Mother is published by
Working Mother Media (WMM), which also owns the National Association
for Female Executives (NAFE), NAFE Magazine, the annual 100 Best
Companies WorkLife Congress, as well as the Best Companies for Women of
Color Multicultural Conference and regional Town Halls. This
year, WMM launched its Best Small Companies for Working Mothers
initiative.
|
