Not all of Working Mother magazine's 100 Best Companies are truly woman- and family-friendly, as noted by Ann Friedman in the March 2007 issue of American Prospect. Here's a closer look at the companies that are the top of Working Mother's limited list.
I understand that Working Mother is a magazine dedicated to working mothers, but one of the most disturbing things I found in their 100 best companies to work for list is the emphasis on mothers as ultimately responsible for children. If more mothers take time off after a new child arrives, it may be because dads are flat out not granted equal leave. Parents who adopt are generally given less time off, let alone paid time, to bond with their child than those who give birth. Only a tiny handful companies offer parity between new parents.
I read through the list of the top 100 Best Companies and think that only eight of them are anything notable. These are companies that have decent family policies, at least on paper, and also have a fair number of women in their top paying positions and on the board. All figures are derived from numbers that company human resources departments provided to Working Mother . In alphabetical order, these companies are:
1. Avon (AVP): 72% of Avon's workforce is female; 54% of its top paid employees are women; and 50% of the Board of Directors are women. Their policies for new parents aren't great, but at least offer eight weeks paid leave for all moms and two weeks for dads or secondary caregivers.
2. Children's Memorial Hospital (Chicago, IL): 81% of the staff is female; according to HR figures, 76% of the top paid staff are women; 19 members of the board are also female, but I am not sure how many board members there are in total. It's benefits for new parents are sad – birth moms get partial pay for a few weeks; everyone else needs to use vacation time.
3. Ikea : 49% of Ikea's employees are women, and 46% of its top paid staff are female. The company has six women on its board, but as a private company, does not make its board information public. New birth moms get six weeks of full pay; dads and adoptive parents get one whopping week.
4. Inova Health Systems : 80% of Inova's staff are female; 59% of its top paid employees are women. Thirteen women sit on the board. Birth moms get four weeks of paid leave; other parents get a less than generous two weeks.
5. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): 48% of J&J's employees are women; 32% are part of its top paid employees. 31% of the Board of Directors are female. Adoptive parents have the same benefits as birth parents, which is great. New moms get four weeks of time off with pay after one year of service, and up to 26 weeks if they've been with the company for five years. Dads get squat in terms of pay if they want to take time with their new kids.
6. Massachusetts General Hospital : 63% of the hospital system's employees are women; 43% of its top paid staff are female. There are five women on the Board. All parents get seven weeks of paid leave for a new baby.
7. Mercy Health System (Wisconsin & N. Illinois): 84% of the health care system's employees are women; 48% are part of the top paid staff. Thirteen women sit on the Board. Complete parity in benefits is granted to new parents, who can receive seven weeks of pay to stay home with a new child.
8. Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago, IL): 78% of the staff at Northwestern Memorial Hospital are women, but 83% of its top earners are female. The Board has 15 members who are women. Only birthmothers get partial pay for time off with new babies; everyone else gets bupkes.
It's interesting how many of the best companies to work for are hospitals, and even many of those have skimpy policies for new parents. The private sector sure isn't leading the way on work-life balance, and actively discriminates against fathers who want to be more involved with their families. This lack of parity ensures that mothers stay home more often and longer, and adversely impacts their ability to compete in the workforce.