Best Companies For Working Moms
Fannie Mae offers paid time off for volunteer work. The Benjamin Group/BSMG pays its employees to exercise.
These companies are among the best at helping working moms balance careers with the rest of their lives, according to Working Mother magazine, which issued its 15th annual list of top employers Tuesday.
"It's not enough anymore for a company to have a child care center at their home office to make the list, in the same way they can't allow flextime for just a handful of workers. Employers must be trying to integrate those practices up and down their organizational ladder," said Lisa R. Benenson, the magazine's editor in chief.
Benenson told CBS Station WBZ-AM, "There are companies that give you time off to care for a sick child or parent."
She added "These investments benefit bottom line for these companies."
The list appears in the magazine's October issue and is available on the magazine's Web site.
Out of the 100 companies listed, the top 10 were Allstate Insurance Co., Bank of America Corp., Eli Lilly and Co., Fannie Mae (formally the Federal National Mortgage Association), IBM Corp., Lincoln Financial Group, Life Technologies Inc., Merrill Lynch & Co., Novant Health Inc. and Prudential Financial Services. The magazine listed them in alphabetical order.
IBM has been among the top 10 for 13 years - longer than any other company.
"We have created a workplace that enables (women) to have multiple goals," said Ted Childs, vice president of global work force diversity.
This year, Working Mother awarded a special award in the small business category, honoring Benjamin Group/BSMG Worldwide, a public relations firm. It helps pay gym membership fees, and employees who'd rather go surfing or walk instead of joining a gym, earn an hourly rate.
"We've always put in place very innovative benefits for our employees and never used our small business status as an excuse," said Shari Benjamin, the firm's CEO.
Donna Lenhoff, general counsel of the National Partnership for Women and Families, said surveys are helpful, but there still needs to be more emphasis on workplace issues as well as on salary and benefits.
Benenson agrees. "Companies in general are doing better, it doesn't mean that there isn't a long road to go for the majority of workers. The companies who make our list provide some amazing benefits, but the fact is most Americans still don't have access to these kinds of family-friendly programs," she said.
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