When Barbara Braunfeld interviewed for an hourly sales job at a Best Buy in New York City, she thought she knew what to expect. After all, she’d worked in tech retail before; she knew all about the geeky intricacies of MP3 players, cell phones and other wireless gizmos. But she didn’t know about the Cheer.

“They do a lot of cheering at Best Buy—each store has its own,” says Barbara, 33, a single mom to 3-year-old daughter Arwin. “They even asked me to do a cheer at my interview. That shocked me.” Now, eight years after starting out as an hourly assistant supervisor with the electronics giant, Barbara is one of the company’s biggest cheerleaders. “Best Buy’s culture is completely different than any other retailer I’ve ever worked for,” she says. “They want you to grow. And they care about you as a person.”

That care doesn’t just take the form of shoutouts. Richfield, MN–based Best Buy—one of 12 companies named as this year’s Best Companies for Hourly Workers—supports employees with innovative benefits that make them feel valued and position them for advancement, from stock-purchase and profit-sharing plans to tuition reimbursement, job-sharing and paid maternity leave. “Within three months,” says Barbara, now a salaried operations manager overseeing 70 employees, “I knew I wanted to make my career here.”

More than a Paycheck
Mothers like Barbara who see their job as part of a career are more content at work and at home, according to What Moms Think: The Working Mother Report, a 2010 survey of 4,600 workers from the Working Mother Media Research Institute. What’s more, data from the Corporate Leadership Council, an Arlington, VA–based membership group, shows that they work harder, too: A 10 percent boost in job commitment yields a 6 percent increase in effort and a 2 percent rise in performance.

The problem, however, is that career contentment among the 73 million hourly employees in the United States is dwindling. In an era of high stress and budget cutbacks, U.S. job satisfaction dropped to an all-time low of 45 percent last year versus 61 percent in the late 1980s, according to the conference Board, a New York City–based research organization.

That’s why it’s all the more impressive that the 12 Best Companies choose to give hourly workers the flexibility, training and support networks they need not only to see the next rung up the ladder but to reach for it as well.

“Happy, productive workers tend to be those who are moving toward a goal,” says Rob Keeling, vice president of human resources at financial services firm Capital One Financial, headquartered
in McLean, VA. “We want to know what their dreams are, to help them get where they want to go. it makes our employees engaged and loyal. And that makes us a stronger company.”

The Tools to Grow
Employees like Raquel Lozano McCain of USAA show what is possible when the conversation revolves around career development. Eighteen years ago, the now 40-year-old mom of Madeline, 8, and Ethan, 5, started with the San Antonio, TX–based insurer as a part-time call-center staffer. But a company lunch-and-learn on finance and investing helped Raquel realize that USAA also might offer long-term opportunities. A series of supportive mentors—many of them women—clinched the deal. “They’ve coached me, developed me, given me training and education and the flexibility to make the most of it,” she says. “They’ve pushed me—often hard.”

Using USAA’s tuition reimbursement benefits, Raquel has earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and obtained her certification in financial planning, all the while rising to her current role as director in Building Wealth. Raquel estimates USAA has invested nearly $50,000 in her education, and she’s not done yet: her next step is an MBA. with her qualifications, Raquel could look to make her career elsewhere, but USAA has earned her loyalty.

This year’s Best Companies all offer tuition assistance, as well as language, computer, financial and
leadership training. But even more importantly, they recognize that multitasking moms like Raquel don’t just need financial help to pursue additional education—they also need time to train and learn.

Bon Secours Richmond Health System’s School at work program, for instance, allows workers to take classes on company time. Such flexibility has allowed teela clark to refresh her math and writing skills while still picking up her young daughters from day care on schedule. “It really prepared me for my next step—going to college to earn my bachelor’s in science and health-care administration,” says the 24-year-old single mom of Nalaiah, 3, and Kimya, 1, who plans to start classes this summer. in the meantime, her career is already progressing nicely; she’s advanced to an $18-an-hour resource center specialist post from one as an $8-an-hour emergency room receptionist.

Support Through Transitions
Also essential at the Best Companies is a culture of support: when you know there’ll be a net under you, you’re more confident about climbing.

Nelly Rogers, 40, began her career as an hourly temp at Livonia, MI–based Valassis. She’s now well
on her way to achieving her dream of a leadership position at the marketing and media firm, best known for its RedPlum coupons. Her last jump, to director of client services, gave her responsibility for six teams of 110 associates, but also called for a cross-country move to Houston—smack in the middle of her son’s school year. Nelly turned to her employer for help. She commuted for seven months while Jacob, 15, finished the year. For Nelly, Valassis has allowed her to remain true to herself as a mom of two and yet grow professionally into her full potential.

It’s a path Best Buy’s Barbara Braunfeld believes she’s on, too. Returning to work after having her daughter, Barbara worried she wouldn’t be able to put in the hours her managerial position demanded and figured she’d likely have to go back to the hourly ranks. No way, said her boss, who worked with Barbara to create an interim reduced-hours schedule that allowed her to continue managing her team and growing toward her next role at the same time. “I get to be a manager and a mom, to keep growing my career—and that’s amazing.”