Microsoft will donate $17 to a charitable organization for every hour an employee spends volunteering for its cause.

It's a gut-wrenching decision that every working parent eventually faces: Do you attend an important meeting with your boss or stay home with a sick child? For mothers at this technology company, the answer is simple: You call for backup. With 100 hours of emergency care at their disposal every year, parents can easily request an in-home visit by a caregiver, and they'll pay just $4 per hour for up to three dependents. Alternatively, they can drop kids at a local center that's equipped to look after mildly ill children, which costs $2 per hour. Moms relied on these options to look after 2,167 of their kids last year. Many also flexed their hours or worked from home when little ones didn't feel well, or drew on their ten annual sick days to stay with them. With a quick call to fellow employees at any of the company's dozens of parenting groups or a chat with a 24/7 nursing hotline, they soon realize that their children (and their jobs) are going to be just fine.

CEO Steve Ballmer

SVP, HR Lisa Brummel

Women managers, senior managers and corporate execs 19%

Women among top earners 16%

Women on board of directors 20%

Women corporate executive hires in 2009 0%

Women participating in management or leadership training in the past year* Not tracked  

Women participating in formalized executive succession planning last year* Private  

Women promoted last year who utilized a formal flexible work arrangement Private  

Do formal compensation policies reward managers who help women advance? No

*Percentages reflect number of women participants versus company’s total female workforce.

“Day of Caring” events allow Microsoft employees to take the day off, with pay, to volunteer with nonprofit organizations.

Gliding to headquarters in a Wi-Fi-equipped bus, the employees of this technology giant sip coffee, catch up on the latest fiction or get a head start on the day’s work. With its fleet of 19 buses, this Redmond, WA–based company has been slashing stress and gas bills for nearly 9,000 workers around Puget Sound since last year. But that’s not the only perk that helps them relax: Health club memberships are free to staffers who live in the region, and there are $800 gym reimbursements for those assigned elsewhere. On-site medical screenings and mammograms as well as personalized health action plans keep employees and their spouses or domestic partners feeling fine. Plus, all workers are eligible for health insurance, 20% childcare discounts, at least four fully paid weeks of parental leave and up to $7,500 in annual tuition assistance—no matter how many hours they clock.

CEP: Steve Ballmer

Senior VP: Lisa Brummel

Women managers/execs: 21%

Women among top earners: 15%

Women on board of directors: 11%

Women corporate executive hires in 2008: 0%

Women participating in management or leadership training in the past year: n/a

Women participating in formalized executive succession planning last year: n/a

Women promoted last year who utilized a formal flexible work arrangement: n/a

Formal compensation policies reward managers who help women advance: Yes