2013 Working Mother 100 Best Companies
Check out Working Mother’s magazine’s list of the 100 best companies for working mothers (and families in general) for 2013. Some samples:
- Citi – In the frantic, heady days after the arrival of a child, having enough time at home is everything. Understanding that, this financial services company gives women up to 13 fully paid weeks off for maternity leave and eight paid weeks off for adoption. It also maintains a series of online discussions, led by an external facilitator, which outline their child care and scheduling options and recommend ways to reconnect with clients. (Subsidies or sliding-scale tuition, granted at eight company day care centers, make returning to work easier.) The Citi Parents Network offers panels and webinars on discipline strategies, family happiness secrets, nutrition, college prep and more.
- General Mills – Get a haircut, grab a family dinner, pick up new glasses—moms can do a lot at this food manufacturing company’s headquarters, thanks to its beauty salon, cafeteria, day care, gym, gas station, tailor and medical clinic with dental and vision care (free to employees, with same-day appointments). A concierge service wraps gifts, researches trips, orders flowers and plans parties. Family members can access free financial coaching, scholarships and a credit union; an employee assistance program finds child care providers and medical specialists. Sabbaticals, flex schedules, summer hours and phase-back arrangements give employees the extra time they need. [Also offers both paid maternity and paid paternity leave.]
- Teach for America – With the education of children as its primary objective, it makes sense that this nonprofit would consider the welfare of employee families. In 2012, it began offering them a nationwide backup care program with access to 1,200+ U.S. child care centers and in-home care for dependents of any age. It also gives new mothers eight fully paid weeks off after a birth or adoption (with $3,000 in adoption aid) and pays half the cost of using a caregiver on business trips, provided children are under age 2. Dedicated affinity groups serve new and expectant mothers, those with toddlers and preschoolers, and fathers.
What about your stories, readers? How have your employers helped support you and your families? Or if they haven’t, what are changes you think would be helpful?
Wow, that's fantastic! I wrote an article a few years back for The American Feminist on adoption-friendly workplaces. There's a "best of" list for that, too.
I suppose its not surprising but Georgetown University is pretty supportive of families (flex schedules, on campus daycare, GU tuition assistance for dependents, good health/vision/dental insurance, DCRA, a health advocate, etc.
The federal government isn't awful either. It has flexible schedules, pretty good paid vacation schedules (especially after you've been there a bit), child care subsidies, good health insurance, DCRA, sick leave that can be used for adoption, etc.
Both only offer unpaid family leave (12 weeks) after having a baby or adopting one (FMLA), which ain't nearly as cool as what, say, Citi offers though.
I don't have kids., but I worked for a short time as an intern at the Canadian space agency, and from what I could see they were very supportive if families! They even had a daycare at the work, and dads or moms always had lunch with their kids, it was really cute 🙂