Family-Friendly Companies
Working Mother magazine recently released its list of the "100 Best Companies for Working Moms." And the top 10 are the cream of the crop. From flexible hours to onsite child care to generous maternity leave policies, all 10 of these companies are ones that any working mom would be thrilled to work for.
Abbott
The massive health care company company is leading the way in family-friendly work/life programs. From a dedicated day care on site at the headquarters to flexible work options, the company even offers discounts at local child care facilities and gives a generous $20,000 in adoption aid or up to $50,000 for fertility treatments. Those are some pretty noteworthy benefits when you consider that many women are delaying having kids until they've established themselves in their career first.
Deloitte
Earlier this year, mom of two Cathy Engelbert was named the new Deloitte CEO—the first woman to run a Big Four company. The company boasts flexible work options, a women's network and development programs to support and empower women at Deloitte. Engelbert shares that the company "strive[s] to foster a culture where people have the confidence to ask for flexibility when they need it," which is essential for any working mom.
Ernst & Young
CEO Mark Weinberger has made headlines by advocating for greater workplace flexibility and employees' needs to make family time a priority. New moms and dads get six to 14 weeks of paid time off, and alternative work schedules that employ the use of modern technology like video-conferencing is highly encouraged. Ernst and Young goes so far as to tell employees to set dedicated blocks of time when they shouldn't be contacted about work and to let their teams know. According to the company, 95 percent of their employees took advantage of creating their own schedule in 2014.
MORE: Washington, D.C., Family Leave Plan Would Be Most Generous in US
General Mills
At General Mills, new moms can gently transition back into their roles after maternity leave is over by reducing their work hours for eight weeks. And during the summers (aka when the kids are at home), employees can work more hours for four days to leave work early every Friday. Some 6 percent of its salaried workers job-share or work part-time, while 19 percent telecommute regularly and 33 percent flex their schedules.
IBM
Did you know the tech company has something called a Super Women Group with over 20,000 members that fosters relationships between female employees who get together over networking meals, virtual chats, mentoring sessions and a variety of other activities? In addition to discounts on child care, IBM also offers working moms lactation rooms, college coaching and test prep services. And earlier this year, IBM announced they would ship traveling working moms' breast milk back home for them.
KPMG
KPMG knows how to take care of its working moms. New moms at KPMG are offered 16 weeks of paid maternity leave or 12 weeks of paid adoption leave. The company also offers $10,000 in adoption aid per child, and parents can also take advantage of paid sabbaticals, flexible summer hours and 28 to 41 paid days off a year. Sounds pretty good to us!
McKinsey
The management consulting firm is on a mission to recruit and retain female employees through dedicated programs from "mini MBA" workshops to numerous mentoring and training events. The Take Time program allows employees to take a break between projects to do whatever they want, whether it's stay home with the kids, go on an extended family vacation or work on that novel you secretly dream of writing. The Pace program allows consultants to stay at their current role longer so that there's no pressure to quickly advance to the next level if you don't want to. There are even Flexibility Counselors who can offer advice on the best way to create a flexible work arrangement.
PwC
In a revolutionary move, the professional services firm offered employees who gave birth or adopted or fostered a child the choice to take up to 26 weeks of parental leave with the option of being fully paid for six consecutive weeks. Alternatively, new parents could choose to take 15 paid days off through the year instead (which is in addition to the short-term disability moms who gave birth receive). PwC also offers up to $35,000 in fertility assistance and has introduced the Full Circle program, which allows moms to take a break from the company for up to five years while still being allowed to access trainings and jobs within the firm.
WellStar Health System
This health company has been on the Top 10 Companies for Working Moms list for the past six years, and it's easy to see why. Every manager there is trained on how to manage work teams with flexible schedules and the company has not just one, but two on-site daycare centers and even a back-up care program for families who may need last minute in-home care like when a child is sick. The icing on the cake? All employees can take advantage of a complimentary concierge service that can help with those needed tasks that often prove difficult for a working mom during the week—grocery shopping, dry cleaning or even car maintenance.
Zoetis
At this animal health company, having a healthy work-life balance is a clear priority, and it starts at the top. CEO Juan Ramón Alaix sets the example for everyone else by not sending or replying to emails on the weekends, and during daylight savings hours employees can leave at 2 p.m. on Fridays, allowing them to start their weekend a little early. According to a company survey, in 2014, 80 percent of employees either telecommuted or flexed their hours while 75 percent worked remotely at some point. Maternity leave is completely paid for six weeks, and Zoetis also offers $10,000 per child in adoption aid. Talk about family friendly!
