For a company to succeed, it must run well on all cyclinders and at all job levels. That’s never been more true than today, when in an economy still struggling to right itself, the only significant job growth on the horizon is expected to be found among low-wage jobs. No wonder, then, that experts say increasing the productivity and retention of entry-level and hourly workers will be vital to U.S. companies going forward.

The Working Mother Best Companies for Hourly Workers  — CCLC, Marriott International, McDonald’s USA, Sodexo, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics and UNM Hospitals — already get this concept. These employers, whose workforces are comprised of at least 50% nonexempt workers, each offer their hourly workers benefits such as health insurance and company-matching 401(k)s, as well as paid vacation and sick time. Even more impressive, our winning companies also offer flexibility — a family-friendly benefit hourly workers typically do not receive. In return, our winners report much lower turnover, higher productivity and greater employee loyalty.
And yet, so many of the 75 million people now working for hourly wages in this country — nearly half the U.S. civilian workforce — do not have access to such benefits. Government statistics estimate that 61 percent of hourly workers are women earning a median wage of $11.49 an hour, and we know that for too many of these women a disheartening combination of rigid shift hours coupled with unpredictable scheduling can take a told on family life. “Its very difficult to line up consistent child care, participate in family activities or even do simple things like cook family meals when you aren’t sure when and how much you’re going to work,” says Susan Lambert, PhD, an associate professor at the University of Chicago, who studies these issues.

Read how Working Mother Best Companies are having on helping hourly working moms.

That’s why Working Mother has set the bar so high for this first-ever list. Based on the 25-year tradition of the Working Mother 100 Best Companies, our initiative tracked and scored more than 375 data points to find best practices across a wide spectrum of employer policies and programs targeting hourly workers, including health benefits, employee-assistance programs, paid leave and training.