If employees at McKinsey & Co. are curious about alternative work arrangements, they can ask questions of those who currently use them during special videoconferencing sessions.

Living a full life may mean something different to each of the 3,276 employees of this management consulting firm, but sympathetic leave policies make it possible for many to follow their bliss. New arrangements support workers who want to take weeks off between projects or even pursue personal interests by working at other organizations for up to a year. Lengthy unpaid leaves of absence have also allowed people to write novels, work for the Red Cross, take language classes and renovate their homes. Parental leave gives new moms 14 fully paid weeks off and 6 months to use it, while those who have children with special needs can take 18 fully paid weeks off within a 3-year window. Virtual town hall meetings for women, held biannually, provide a chance to ask leadership questions about flexible work and reducing travel loads.

Global Managing Director Dominic Barton

Director, Personnel Michelle Jarrard 

Women managers/execs 31%

Women hires in 2011 34%

Average weeks of fully paid maternity leave offered 14

Offers paid paternity leave? Yes

Offers paid adoption leave? Yes

Women in affinity groups in 2011 55%

Offers backup child care? Yes

Employees working flexibly 100%