Learning maps and 20 hours of training annually help Sodexo’s hourly workers achieve their goals.

Whatever their crisis or concern, hourly workers at this food and facilities management services company can get help from its comprehensive employee assistance provider, which offers college coaching for their kids and emotional and substance-abuse counseling. To make room for events in their personal lives, 40% of the hourly population flexed their schedules at some point last year. If they average 30 hours of work per week out of at least 6 of 12 weeks, they become eligible for health insurance.

CEO: George Chavel

Senior VP and Chief HR Officer: Peri Bridger

Work hours required for family health insurance: --

Formal advancement program offered for hourly employees? Yes

% of hourly employees promoted to manager positions: Less than 1%

Job-skills training offered for hourly employees? Yes

Managers rewarded for helping hourly employees advance? Yes

Lactation program offered for nursing mother employees? Yes

Paid time off offered to employees? Yes

Employee mothers with one year of service offered extra time off (beyond the 12 weeks required by FMLA) following childbirth? No

“Grow, Stretch, Succeed,” a three-day program held at the San Diego Marriott Marquis in June 2011, showed Marriott International associates how to dress for success, save for retirement, manage stress and more.

Finding ways to help hourly workers advance is essential to this hospitality services company, where 87% of the workforce is nonexempt. Semiannual job reviews are informed by the company’s new Hourly Performance Process, an online feedback system through which management can assess and guide employee career progress. Many associates cross-train in areas outside their usual job functions, which maximizes their employability and allows them to earn more income.

Chairman and CEO: Arne Sorenson

Executive VP, Global HR: David Rodriguez

Work hours required for family health insurance: 30

Formal advancement program offered for hourly employees? Yes

% of hourly employees promoted to manager positions: 2%

Job-skills training offered for hourly employees? Yes

Managers rewarded for helping hourly employees advance? Yes

Lactation program offered for nursing mother employees? Yes

Paid time off offered to employees? Yes

Employee mothers with one year of service offered extra time off (beyond the 12 weeks required by FMLA) following childbirth? No

Hilton Worldwide employees and their families get deep discounts on hotel stays; at properties the company owns outright, rooms may even be free.

This global hospitality company offers a wide range of opportunities to its hourly workers, from jobs in reservations and guest services to positions in finance, management, marketing and more. Flex schedules permit employees to choose from among three work shifts, to telecommute (as most reservations workers do) or to compress their workweeks. An in-house university offers more than 2,500 courses, and $1,200 in annual tuition aid is available to anyone who works at least 30 hours a week.

President and CEO: Christopher Nassetta

Chief HR Officer: Matthew Schuyler

Work hours required for family health insurance: 30

Formal advancement program offered for hourly employees? No

% of hourly employees promoted to manager positions: 1%

Job-skills training offered for hourly employees? Yes

Managers rewarded for helping hourly employees advance? No

Lactation program offered for nursing mother employees? No

Paid time off offered to employees? Yes

Employee mothers with one year of service offered extra time off (beyond the 12 weeks required by FMLA) following childbirth? Yes

Women at the VP level and above can take as many days off as they like when working at Wyndham Worldwide.

Women make up 47% of top earners and 27% of executives at this hospitality company, among them Gail Mandel, the chief financial officer of Wyndham Exchange & Rentals. Through the Women on Their Way program, the company offers female employees their own associate business group, networking events and lectures on career development. Female executives get private mentoring and mentoring circles, act as reverse mentors for senior management and even forge relationships with mentors online. To advance their education, they can pursue an on-site hospitality degree via Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Chairman & CEO: Stephen Holmes

Executive VP & Chief HR Officer: Mary Falvey

% of senior managers who are women: 37%

% of corporate executives who are women: 27%

% of promotions to manager, senior manager and corporate executive positions that went to women: 35%

% of the top 10% of the company’s earners who are women: 38%

% of corporate executives with profit-and-loss responsibility who are women: 26%

% of the executives running divisions with revenues of more than a billion dollars who are women: 33%

% of executives who report directly to the CEO who are women: 14%

% of the members of the board of directors who are women: 29%

% of female workforce participating in mentoring: --

Marriott’s new Global Diversity and Inclusion Council, and the regional divisions that offer related networking and leadership conferences, support women’s advancement.

Success stories are easy to find at this hospitality services company, where former part-time phone operator Erica Qualls now heads the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, and onetime sales manager Erika Alexander currently oversees 21 Southern hotels. Other women are following in their wake, thanks to a slew of leadership and training initiatives for every area and function at the company. Standouts include the career acceleration program, through which female employees at the manager level and above outline the steps needed to allow them to achieve professional goals and then complete targeted training, with mentoring and coaching from executives. Selected women at the director level and above also work with external coaches in a program called women in Leadership and Learning, while senior female talent in the Executive Development program benefit from receiving professional assessments, completing critical-thinking assignments and fostering valuable contacts.

Chairman & CEO: J.W. Marriott, Jr.

Executive VP, Global HR: David Rodriguez

% of senior managers who are women: 39%

% of corporate executives who are women: 31%

% of promotions to manager, senior manager and corporate executive positions that went to women: 53%

% of the top 10% of the company’s earners who are women: 45%

% of corporate executives with profit-and-loss responsibility who are women: 23%

% of the executives running divisions with revenues of more than a billion dollars who are women: 20%

% of executives who report directly to the CEO who are women: 20%

% of the members of the board of directors who are women: 20%

% of female workforce participating in mentoring: 4%

Mary is from Ramsey, NY, and mom to Justin (22) and Jordan (16).

With her seemingly endless energy, infectious enthusiasm and reliable determination, Mary Falvey leads by example for the more than 26,000 associates at Wyndham Worldwide. A human resources professional for more than 25 years and mother of two, Mary’s passionate, yet practical approach goes far beyond the ordinary, providing a great model for how to be exceptional at both work and home.

While her role as executive vice president and chief human resources officer inherently drives career development, she also often gives her personal time  to many associates. Whether it’s through the always open door of her office or a chat in the hallway, Mary truly listens to associates’ ambitions in both career and life and then helps work to get them there.

Mary’s commitment to mentoring is reflected in the wide range of opportunities offered throughout Wyndham Worldwide. One example is the Associate Business Group program, which enables associates with similar backgrounds to meet, network, and promote career development. There are currently six groups including African Americans, Hispanic, Asian Indian, veterans, and LGBT.

The first Associate Business Group, which Mary personally championed, was for working women. The group provides numerous mentor opportunities, both formal and informal. For instance, this past year, a “speed mentoring” event offered 15-minute, one-on-one conversations with dozens of senior leaders from all areas of the company, allowing for a wide range of perspective and experiences all in one session.

Through the culture she promotes and example she sets every day, Mary continues to support working mothers, and all associates at Wyndham Worldwide to reach their full potential.

 

Michelle is from Ashburn, VA, and mom to Nick (15), Ben (13), Emily (11) and Abby (8).

Michelle Mutton, vice president of corporate and statutory accounting, has seen the benefits of positive mentoring relationships throughout her 21 years with the company from both sides.

When Michele first became a manager, she looked to her assigned mentor to help guide her through as she learned to manage people. With her mentor’s advice, Michelle made the adjustment from doing the work herself to managing others. As her career grew, so did her network, and after seeing the positive results of being involved in a mentoring relationship, she knew it was time for her to give back and become one herself.

Over the years, Michelle has enjoyed interacting with many formal and informal protégés, particularly other working mothers. She feels a strong connection to those women who are as interested in their families as they are in their careers, and often uses her own experiences when she gives advice on time management and effectiveness at work and at home. With four active children of her own and a team of 50 associates at work, Michelle is an expert on this subject. “It’s a part of my job, but I truly enjoy seeing others grow and develop in their careers,” she says.

Within her own organization, she maintains an open-door policy and checks in on new hires regularly to ensure that they have access to the tools, resources, information and people that they need.

Both Michelle and her family recognize what a positive experience she has had with Marriott: “I am hoping that watching my career over the years may instill some interest in my children to consider Marriott as a potential career choice. Maybe one of them is a future general manager in the making!”

Mom to Alyssa (9), Kylie (7), Tatum (5), Marshall (3), Sawyer (1) and Beckett (2 months), Jenne hails from Dayton, MN.

Jenne Roper, director of brand marketing, always wanted a big family and career fulfillment. She got both at Carlson.

In 1997, Jenne, whose siblings already worked at Carlson, started in the call center right out of college. She steadily progressed up the corporate ladder, eventually meeting her husband there.

Six kids and a demanding full-time job later, Jenne is a master of multi-tasking at work and home. As director of brand marketing for Carlson Hotels, she’s highly organized and does an exceptional job of compartmentalizing everything in her life.  She’s clear that when she’s at work, she focuses on work, but at home, her attention is on the family. Each of Jenne’s six maternity leaves have been at Carlson, and she’s appreciated Carlson’s flexibility to determine what works well for her in terms of transitioning back to work.

 “My team members have always jumped right in to pick up my work while I was out,” she says, adding her appreciation that there’s no “cookie cutter approach” at Carlson for what employees need to do to achieve work-life balance. “The supportive culture is a part of the fabric of Carlson,” she says.

With six children, ages 2 months to 9 years old, Jenne and her stay-at-home husband believe it’s important to give each child individual time. Jenne has a tradition of spending a hour nightly with each child. She reads to them or they read to her.  They look forward to this “alone-time” with Mom and Jenne relishes it, too.  She’s truly an inspiration to all working moms.

Wyndham Worldwide offers its associates up to $6,000 annually to offset the cost of certifications and degrees.

Women with a wide variety of interests enjoy working at this hospitality company, which boasts more than 100,000 hotels, vacation properties and time-shares around the globe. To stay energized, they exercise in fitness facilities at its largest U.S. locations (Indianapolis, IN, Parsippany, NJ, and Orlando, FL), using free memberships that allow them to indulge in personal training, join weight-management programs, take kickboxing and Zumba and even play volleyball. Walking paths give them a chance to shed stress during lunch, while wellness centers help them watch their blood pressure, manage chronic conditions and handle emergencies. Finding child care isn’t hard, either: Discounts are available through several U.S. chains. To blow off steam, moms can play ping-pong and pool at headquarters.

Chairman & CEO Stephen Holmes

Executive VP & Chief HR Officer Mary Falvey

Women managers/execs 30% 

Women among top earners 47% 

Women hires in 2010 51% 

Average weeks of fully paid maternity leave offered 10 

Allows new moms to “phase back” into work with reduced hours? Yes

Offers affinity group for new mothers? No

Offers backup childcare? Yes

Employees working flexibly Not tracked

While there had historically been a 30-hour-per-week minimum requirement to earn healthcare, through 2010, full-time hourly associates were still allowed to retain their insurance if they ended up working less often than that.

Never one to rest on its laurels, this hospitality services company celebrated its twentieth year on our list by making dramatic upgrades to its offerings. Parents were thrilled when the child-care center at headquarters, which once held 97 kids, added to its staff and got a serious makeover—becoming a brighter, bigger space with room for 113. In the same building, a popular lactation room that was seeing 16,000 visits from moms each year was thoroughly rebuilt, doubling in size to make space for eight private nursing areas and getting brand-new breast pumps. Every hotel was assigned a wellness coordinator, and employees were given access to free health coaching, walking groups, weight-loss initiatives and discounts on their insurance premiums. Workers who made serious attempts to get more sleep, exercise more and eat better won prizes.

Chairman & CEO J.W. Marriott, Jr.

Executive VP, Global HR David Rodriguez

Women managers/execs 52% 

Women among top earners 48% 

Women hires in 2010 55% 

Average weeks of fully paid maternity leave offered 0

Allows new moms to “phase back” into work with reduced hours? Yes

Offers affinity group for new mothers? No

Offers backup childcare? Yes

Employees working flexibly 100%