8 fully paid weeks off is how much time Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina grants employee mothers-to-be.

When an employee survey recently confirmed that overall job satisfaction was directly related to the amount of flexibility workers had, this Durham, NC–based healthcare insurer took a closer look at its work/life offerings and decided to upgrade them. Job-sharing, telecommuting and compressed workweeks, which had long been scattered among departments, were united under the umbrella of the new Flexible Work Options Committee, and the position of Workplace Change Champion was created to identify positions that could use added flexibility and to pinpoint available options. While 60% of staffers work from home occasionally or on a part-time basis, the company wants 25% to telecommute full-time by 2014—a bold move it is supporting with manager training and remote computer access.

President & CEO: Robert Greczyn, Jr.

Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel: Maureen O’Connor

Women managers/execs: 64%

Women among top earners: 38%

Women on board of directors: 21%

Women corporate executive hires in 2008: 100%

Women participating in management or leadership training in the past year: 19%

Women participating in formalized executive succession planning last year: 55%

Women promoted last year who used a formal flexible work arrangement: 53%

Formal compensation policies reward managers who help women advance: No