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 Focus on the 100 Best - About the 2008 Winners |
| When it comes to supporting working mothers, these leaders know that actions speak louder than words. |
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Edited By: Jennifer Owens and Suzanne Riss ,
Photo: John-Francis Bourke/Getty Images
We’ve hit the working-mother lode this year with our 100 Best Companies. From flextime and telecommuting to backup child care and parental leave, these winners are expanding the concept of family-friendly benefits to make sure they cover adoptive parents, fathers and grandparents as well as working mothers—even as the economy stumbles. “It is particularly important to continue enhancing benefits precisely when families are getting squeezed the hardest,” says James Rishwain, firm chair at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, one of this year’s Top 10 companies. We couldn’t agree more.
A closer look
The numbers we compiled tell more than just the story of 100 great companies. They show how millions of people make their lives work each day thanks to the work/life benefits these progressive employers provide. We congratulate all our winners as we welcome four newcomers—Bain & Co., Dell, FINRA and Moffitt Cancer Center. We also salute our two newest Hall of Fame inductees—Deloitte and Fannie Mae—who have ...
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| Featured Articles |
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Good for the Gander  |
| When he became a father 11 years ago, Kraig Renken barely took enough time off from work to catch his breath, much less bond with ... |
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| Ageless in America |
| Nearly every weekday without fail Susan Serota arrives at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman’s New York City law offices by 8:30 a.m. If it’s a good ...
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| Stop the Clock |
| Half of all moms who work full-time dream of switching to a part-time schedule. Now, as more companies make this option a reality, we talk ... |
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| 2008 100 Best Companies Hall of Fame | |
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Real working moms share their dramatic stories of how they were saved by creative work/life programs at their cutting-edge companies.
When your child is running a fever of 105, the bank is threatening to foreclose on your home or you’ve just learned an ailing parent is going to require full-time care, it can be a little tough to focus on what’s going on in the office. That’s why our Hall of Fame companies—22 powerhouses that have earned a place on our 100 Best list for 15 years or more—are so dedicated to work/life policy advancement. They know that happy employees ...
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| 2008 Family Champions | |
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Learn how these women at the top of their fields are helping moms by making the enterprises they oversee friendlier places for working parents. Here's what you should expect from your employer.
When every day can feel like a battle for balance, working moms need a true advocate to lead the charge for family-friendly benefits at work. That’s why we’re honoring these nine powerful women as our 2008 Family Champions: At the top of their companies, they’ve developed family-focused cultures at their workplaces while expanding critical programs for working parents, from flexible schedules and paid parental leave to advancement and wellness. Not surprisingly, each of our champions is employed by a Working ...
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| Global Snapshot: Africa | |
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A few of the progressive ideas that are helping this diverse continent grow.
We’re hittin’ the road again...Working Mother Media’s first Global Advancement of Women Conference in São Paulo, Brazi l, was such an inspiration last year that we headed overseas again in August—this time to Johannesburg, South Africa . As many of our 100 Best Companies make global strides, we’re on a quest not only to discover what works and what doesn’t for working women on other continents, but also to share what we’ve learned at home. In Africa, where per capita ...
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| To Grandmother's Office We Go | |
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For working grandparents, balance is a lifelong goal.
Kathy Koch worked part-time as a software engineer at IBM for four years in the 1980s when she had two little boys at home. Fast-forward to today and she’s once again on a reduced work schedule—this time to care for her 18-month-old granddaughter, Sophie.
On Thursdays, instead of commuting from her home in Poughkeepsie, NY, to IBM’s office nearby, Kathy drives to her son’s home to pick up Sophie (pictured with Kathy and Heidi Stephens, Sophie’s mom). The arrangement ...
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| Top 10 2008 | |
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We salute these stalwart execs who aren't just keeping their family-friendly programs afloat--they're moving forward at full tilt.
The progressive thinkers at the helm of the ten top-ranking firms of our 100 Best are used to sailing against the wind. After all, they implemented family-friendly programs long before it was the thing to do. And today, tough economic times aren’t enough to put them off course. “We view these benefits as strategic business practices designed to retain high-performing staff,” explains PricewaterhouseCoopers’s Dennis Nally.
Abbott • Baptist Health South Florida • Bristol-Myers Squibb • Ernst & Young ...
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| Weathering the Storm | |
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Learn why our 100 Best Companies are sheltering hard-won benefits even as others scale back.
After decades of advances in family-friendly benefits, a backlash is brewing. Learn why our 100 Best are sheltering these hard-won benefits—and how their reasoning can help you at your job.
It isn’t unusual for Sheena Montei to pick up her work phone and hear an eager voice on the other end: a corporate headhunter trying to lure her to another company. “I get a call every few months,” says Sheena, 48. Dogged recruiters have all but begged Sheena to ...
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| What's Next? | |
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Big thinking about what the next generation of work/life benefits will look like
(and why you should be excited about what?s coming).
We asked everyone from futurists and policy makers to readers and some household names for flashes of inspiration, insight and plain old wishful thinking about the future of family-friendly perks.
Here, ideas on how to put a new spin on old rules.
Working-family wish list
Over the past 30 years, we have seen significant advancements for working families, but I hope it won’t take another 30 years for us to conquer the ongoing challenges. I hope that ...
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| 2008 Methodology | |
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Interested in becoming a 100 Best Company?
The Application
The 2008 Working Mother 100 Best Companies application includes more than 500 questions on workforce, compensation, child care, flexibility programs, leave policies and more. It also surveys the usage, availability and tracking of programs, as well as the accountability of managers who oversee them.
What’s Measured
Seven areas are measured and scored: workforce profile, compensation, child care, flexibility, time off and leaves, family-friendly programs and company culture.
This Year’s Winners
With the help of ...
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| Marilyn Carlson Nelson | |
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Working Mother's 2007 Family Champion
One of the few female CEOs in the male-dominated travel and tourism industry, this billionaire mom of three, poised to retire, discusses how she turned her dad's empire into a family-friendly enterprise. Marilyn Carlson Nelson vividly remembers when her bosses at Paine Webber asked her to sign her name "M.C. Nelson," because they thought customers wouldn't buy stocks from a woman. She was eager to remake the rules, and during her illustrious career, she got that opportunity. When she ...
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| THE 2007 Hall of Fame | |
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This year 20 of our Best Companies inhabit the hall.
Too often top companies hear their best talent say, "I love my work, my clients, the company—I have to leave." Smart women positioned for the corporate fast track say goodbye to firms they adore every day because the benefits and perks aren't enough to help them in their personal quests, whether that's more time for Mommy and Me classes or finally getting that MBA degree. Designing innovative programs and improving upon the old standbys that help each employee in ...
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| You're Cut Off | |
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Why your boss wants you to take a break and unwind.
From declaring meeting-free Fridays to allowing surf breaks so
employees can hit the waves and unwind, more companies are encouraging
workers to unplug and recharge. The payoff? Loyal, healthy employees who don't burn out.
One day last spring, Lorie Baker walked into her home office just
outside Annapolis, MD, and logged on to her computer to catch up on a
bit of work. As the mother of twin daughters and a director in the
advisory practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers ("I'm a type A person, ...
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| Guilty As Charged. Now Get Over It! | |
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After 22 years of work/life breakthroughs, one mom wonders why she still feels so guilty.
Sure, top companies are helping us be more successful. Now if we
could just ditch the self-blame—well, that'd be the icing on the cake.
My default setting is guilt. It's the fodder of my before-sleep
meditations and my prayers upon awakening. The initial pangs struck
during my first pregnancy in 1987 (yes, I'm 53 now, but don't spread it
around). Gestating a human while working in television production
nearly took me down. I spent much of the early part of my days in ...
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| Second Tier, Not Second Class | |
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No matter where they fall on the pay scale, working moms all need great benefits.
The 100 Best Companies deliver, with across-the-board access for top earners and lower-wage workers alike.
When Azalea Manley became pregnant in late 2005, the manufacturing
operator at GlaxoSmithKline knew she couldn't afford to take a great
deal of time off. Her factory position compressing medicine powder into
tablets pays about $18 an hour, and she relies on every cent. Going
without her salary for too long would put all the financial pressure on
her husband. But Azalea, 31, soon learned that all new ...
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| Top Ten 2007 | |
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These companies listen to their employees--and help them reach new heights every day.
Working Mother Top Ten
- Baptist Health South Florida - Booz Allen Hamilton - Ernst & Young - General Mills - IBM - KPMG - The McGraw-Hill Companies - PricewaterhouseCoopers - UBS - Wachovia Those who dare to climb Mount Everest battle brutal winds, freezing temperatures and dangerous paths, all because they want to reach the top of the world. Like other peak performers, our Top 10 know that ...
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| Talking About My Generation | |
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Closing the gap in managing four generations of women in the workplace at the same time.
Linda Leonard of Bristol Myers-Squibb with Rachel, 9, and Nathan, 5. Today, four generations of women converge in the workplace for the
first time. Companies are scrambling to meet their divergent needs as
they rethink how we can all work together.
General Mills hosted a conference for its female sales team last
November, it was full of fun and games. Literally. In addition to
seminars and speakers, the food products manufacturer rolled out a
board game called "Leading Through the Generations" to teach ...
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| Methodology 2007 | |
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How we decide
The application
The list of companies selected for the 2007 Working Mother 100 Best
Companies was based on an extensive application completed by each firm.
The application includes detailed questions about the workforce,
compensation, child-care and flexibility programs, leave policies and
more. It also checks the usage, availability and tracking of programs,
as well as the accountability of managers who oversee them.
What's measured
Seven areas are measured and scored: workforce profile, compensation,
child care, flexibility, time off and leaves, family-friendly programs,
company culture. Making ...
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| Special Delivery | |
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Parenting a special-needs child brings unique challenges.
Booz Allen Hamilton's Kathy Kull with son Thane, 9.
Our 100 Best firms are stepping up to help with everything from flexible work schedules and support groups to expanded health benefits and educational resources. As a baby, Craig Ronowski was a healthy bundle of energy, and it was all his mom, Lori Key, a marketing and expense specialist at First Horizon National Corporation in Memphis, could do to keep up with him. But a few days before his first ...
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| 2007 Top Moms from the Top 10 | |
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Our Top Ten Companies shine a spotlight on their own stars
Along with our readers, who better to nominate great moms than the brass at the Top 10 companies of our Working Mother 100 Best? So each of these leading family-friendly firms selected a working mom (among so many wonderful women) to spotlight how employees make it work. Here they are!
Abbott
Jill Koegel
Senior sales representative, Pharmaceutical Products Division; mom of Katie, 11, and Bradyn, 3
Four years ago, Jill's life changed dramatically. The Abbott "All Star" sales ...
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| 2008 Top Moms from the Top 10 | |
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In honor of Mother's Day--and working moms everywhere--we spotlight some stellar women.
Baptist Health South Florida
Denise Harris, chief nursing officer, Baptist Outpatient Services; Nicolas, 14, and Tatiana, 12
When my children were younger, they went to school at the on-site Baptist Health children’s center, so I was able to visit them. As they got older, my flexible schedule allowed me to leave work for their school plays or sports. During our free time together, my daughter loves to go shopping, and my son enjoys going to the movies.
Booz ...
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| Trailblazers: Food Industry | |
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Stirring the Pot:A nutritionist, a marketer and an economist passionate about what we feed our families dish out mom know-how to kick things up a notch in the male-dominated food industry.
Hey, Mom, know which cereal goes "Snap, crackle, pop"? What yogurt is
day-at-the-spa good? And which macaroni is the cheesiest? Chances are
you know, love and shop for Rice Krispies, Yoplait and Kraft Macaroni
& Cheese—kitchen staples that help working moms everywhere get
breakfast, lunch and dinner on the table. So as the person who hums "My
bologna has a first name" while pushing the grocery cart, you might
expect women to be major players in a business that produces much of
what we serve our kids. ...
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| Safe & Sound | |
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Moms from three leading insurance firms use creative technology, unconventional thinking and innovative planning to make sure they've got us covered, no matter what challenges life throws our way.
As odd as it may seem, insurance has a lot in common with moms. Much
like you, insurance helps people prepare for life's ups and downs. It
comes to the rescue when we get hurt—or have fender benders that just
plain ruin our day. It protects us from danger when a storm ravages our
home and upends our lives. There's peace of mind knowing that if a
disaster big or small strikes, insurance—like Mom—has our back. Meet
three moms—Allstate's Cathy Brune, MetLife's Ingrid Tolentino and
Prudential Financial's ...
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| 2006 Hall of Fame | |
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CEOs of our 15-year-veteran 100 Best Companies discuss what's next in family-friendly policies
New ideas are everything in business. Companies need them to sharpen
their competitive edge, attract and retain top talent and propel
profits. Our Hall of Fame inductees know this well. Having landed a
spot on the Working Mother 100 Best for 15 years or more, these
forward-thinking companies have been making all the right moves and
setting the gold standard. This year, we invite three new honorees to
our roster: GlaxoSmithKline, Northern Trust and The Phoenix Companies.
To get a sense of the latest thinking about ...
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| Family Champions | |
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The most effective work/life initiatives come from the top, and these iconic chief executives set the gold standard when it comes to family-friendly workplaces.
Meet our 2006 Family Champions! For their illustrious record of
providing flexible schedules, strong child care and innovative programs
that advance women, we honor technology leader IBM and pharmaceuticals
giant Johnson & Johnson, the only companies to be named to the
Working Mother 100 Best for all 21 years. Chief executives Samuel J.
Palmisano of IBM and William C. Weldon of J&J, each of whom has
worked at his company for more than 30 years, encourage their employees
to lead balanced professional and personal lives. J&J ...
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| Tweens & Teens Blast Off | |
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Science camps, emotional support counseling, college coaching, volunteer opportunities and other perks for older kids are a special focus for cutting-edge companies--and welcome assistance for parents whose babies are growing up.
Certainly the challenges of raising a tween or teen aren't new. What
is new is that employers are recognizing working parents' urgent need
for support handling these challenges. That's why innovative programs
for adolescents—though they're far from widespread—are gaining ground
at some forward-thinking Working Mother 100 Best Companies. These
businesses understand that they need to provide support beyond child
care for babies and that bigger kids mean bigger challenges. They've
also learned that their employees' peace of mind is priceless. So
they've let it be known that ...
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| 2006 Top 10 | |
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Insights From the Best of The Best
How do companies become the best of the best, the creme de la creme? To
muscle their way onto the coveted Top 10, companies must score the
highest on our comprehensive application. Our top-ranked companies lead
the nation in innovative time-off and maternity leave policies,
work/life flexibility and child-care programs. These premier workplaces
set new standards for working moms. Just how competitive is this
ranking? Only three companies from last year's Top 10 return this year:
IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers and S.C. Johnson & Son. Seven firms are
new. ...
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| Building the New Stereotype | |
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A new image of working mothers, taking shape at our 100 Best, shows them crafting
customized careers--with skills, ambition and abilities as strong as any man's.
Nancy DeViney vividly remembers a conversation she had as an
up-and-coming sales manager in the 1980s. After she received a
promotion, "a man who was in an important management position wanted to
know if I intended to go the career route or the mommy route," she
says. "I made it clear I wanted both, and I think that was surprising
to him." Nancy recalls few examples of working mothers in high-ranking
positions. Back then, you were either a career woman or a mom.
Over ...
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| Comeback Moms | |
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Opting In
As companies offer lavish leave options, would-be opt-out moms are
being lured back to work. With up to five years of time off, is it any
wonder these employers are winning our loyalty?
Early one evening in March, Amal Shehata was giving her infant son a
bath and noticed he was getting too big for his baby tub. Overwhelmed
with emotion that she was missing her son grow up while she worked,
Amal decided to quit a job she loved as a director ...
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| Global Snapshot | |
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Parent Perks Around the World
Looking for inspirational, cutting-edge work/life benefits? Take a
global glance: Twelve months of paid parental leave. Free day care
until age 4. Subsidized afterschool care up to the tween years. Reduced
workweeks until your children are 8. Wow! We collected an international
sampling of head-turning family benefits from countries that truly
embrace work/life policies. Take a peek. A little worldwide influence
just might motivate creative thinking about the possibilities here in
the States—and elsewhere on the planet.
JAPAN In this driven
corporate culture, all ...
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| How They Did It | |
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Moms Make it All Happen at the 100 Best
Meet moms at three of this year's Working Mother 100 Best who pushed for more family-friendly benefits—and got them.
Persistence Pays Off
Lactation Program at Dow Corning
When Kristina Marsh returned to work after her son, Ethan, was born
five years ago, she knew one thing for sure: She wanted to continue
nursing her baby. She'd heard through the grapevine that Dow Corning
had breast pumps—somewhere. Lactation support wasn't an official
benefit, so it was left to individual building managers ...
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