The 100 best employers for working parents in 2019

閱讀中文版本

Surveying more than two million US employees, the American magazine Working Mother unveiled on Tuesday its annual list of 100 best companies. This year's focus is on inclusive benefits for families, including gender-neutral leave, gradual phase-back after parental leave and accessible, affordable childcare.

Johnson & Johnson tops the list, with its discounted rates for a network of childcare centres and backup-dependent care, on-site childcare centres, and paid gender-neutral or maternity leave. This is the 35th consecutive year the healthcare company has made the list.

The remaining top 10 companies for 2019 (in alphabetical order) are: AbbVie, Astellas Pharma, Bain & Company, Deloitte, Ernst & Young LLP, IBM, KPMG, Takeda and Unilever.

It is notable that this is the first time Estée Lauder, Hasbro, Korn Ferry, NewYork-Presbyterian, NYU Langone Health, Transamerica and Voya Financial were selected.

Overall, the average number of fully paid weeks of maternity leave by the 100 best companies is 11 weeks, compared with the US average of four weeks. More than half of these companies offer the same number of weeks for moms’ and dads’ leave.

The majority of selected companies offer flextime, with 79% of employees using it, 99% offer telecommuting, with 54% of female employees taking advantage of it. Three in four companies also offer sick-child care, and 94% have backup or emergency childcare.

Here are the top three highest-scoring organisations in categories in which they are judged (in alphabetical order): *Extra maternity leave for birth mothers in addition to gender-neutral leave

Workforce Profile Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Employees and their spouses at the health insurance company now receive up to US$7,500 in egg cryopreservation — an elective procedure for women with healthy reproductive systems who might not be ready to have a baby yet but want to preserve their eggs for a later date.

Minimum number of weeks of fully paid gender-neutral leave: 4 Minimum number of weeks of fully paid maternity leave: 10*

L’Oréal USA In 2018, 213 employees tested new flexible benefit options. The most popular allowed for seven summer Fridays off with extended workdays all other days. Ninety-two percent of respondents reported they were able to spend more time with friends and family in a present and meaningful way.

Minimum number of weeks of fully paid gender-neutral leave: 5 Minimum number of weeks of fully paid maternity leave: 10*

NewYork-Presbyterian The healthcare organisation reimburses up to US$15,000 per adoption for employees and offers a surrogacy benefit of up to US$15,000 per birth event.

Minimum number of weeks of fully paid maternity leave: 6

Paid Time Off Adobe In 2018, the software company increased the amount employees reimbursed for adoption expenses to $25,000 per child/sibling group, with a lifetime maximum of $50,000. The company added a benefit to cover non-medical expenses associated with surrogacy, up to $25,000 per event, with a $50,000 lifetime maximum.

Minimum number of weeks of fully paid gender-neutral leave: 16 Minimum number of weeks of fully paid maternity leave: 10 *

Bain & Company “We believe that thriving in your career requires thriving in your personal life, which means having sufficient time and energy outside of work. We have a 30-plus-year track record of offering flexible working options for employees. Our program ensures flexibility in one’s job, the ability to shape a career through job rotations or varied career paths, or more-formalised options such as part time, job sharing or extended breaks to recharge and/or fulfill personal goals. Today, 30% of our employees have used or are using a flexible model,” said Russ Hagey, partner and chief talent officer.

Minimum number of weeks of fully paid gender-neutral leave: 8 Minimum number of weeks of fully paid maternity leave: 8*

Deloitte “Through our paid time off (PTO) programme, the average professional gets 30 days each year that can be used for personal leave, sick days, vacation and other needs. We also have 13 paid holidays. Our approach gives our people the flexibility to take time off in ways that are most important to them so they may be whole in mind, body and purpose,” said Stephani Long, chief talent officer.

Minimum number of weeks of fully paid gender-neutral leave: 16 Minimum number of weeks of fully paid maternity leave: 6*

Benefits Boehringer Ingelheim The pharmaceutical company has added Milk Stork — a free breast-milk-delivery service for moms traveling on business. Nursing mothers can pump, pack, and safely ship or tote their breast milk home. At many off-site meetings, the company offers convenient lactation rooms.

Minimum number of weeks of fully paid maternity leave: 10

Johnson & Johnson Minimum number of weeks of fully paid gender-neutral leave: 8 Minimum number of weeks of fully paid maternity leave: 6*

Unilever “While there are several benefits I am proud we offer, the one that probably has the most impact is our comprehensive and holistic preventive-care exam for families, through a leading medical and wellness facility. This exam goes way beyond the typical physical. It has helped reshape lives by catching early-stage diseases, and offers preventive care and coaching throughout the year. I can’t think of a more impactful benefit for the extended family,” said Mike Clementi, executive VP, HR North America for customer development and global markets.

Minimum number of weeks of fully paid gender-neutral leave: 8 Minimum number of weeks of fully paid maternity leave: 8*

Recruitment, Retention and Advancement Accenture Through its Accenture Technology Return to Work program, the global professional-services company offers executive women who’ve been out of the workplace for at least 18 months the opportunity to apply to a 16-week paid returnship, with the goal of firing up a new career in technology.

Minimum number of weeks of fully paid gender-neutral leave: 8 Minimum number of weeks of fully paid maternity leave: 8*

IBM “As medical diagnoses have improved, our society has recognised the potential of special-needs services to improve outcomes for children who need them most. Our special care for children assistance plan reimburses up to $50,000 per child toward services addressing a range of disabilities, including mental, physical or developmental. We’ve offered this programme for more than 30 years,” said Diane Gherson, senior VP, HR.

Minimum number of weeks of fully paid gender-neutral leave: 12 Minimum number of weeks of fully paid maternity leave: 8*

KPMG “What I think employees enjoy the most is flexible work arrangements that help them accomplish what they need to, both at work and at home. One of the most popular is our summer weekend jump-start programme, which enables people to leave work two hours early on Fridays. Other alternative arrangements include compressed workweeks that condense standard hours into fewer days; flextime, which lets employees collaborate with their teams to set starting and ending times; telecommuting and remote work, and job sharing,” said Darren H. Burton, Vice Chair, HR.

Minimum number of weeks of fully paid gender-neutral leave: 6 Minimum number of weeks of fully paid maternity leave: 10*

Flexibility Deloitte IBM KPMG

Company Culture IBM KPMG Sony Electronics The electronics manufacturer offers SNOO Smart Sleeper rentals for every new-parent employee. This is a bassinet designed for newborns up to the age of six months, which boosts sleep by using womb sensation to rock and shush babies.

Minimum number of weeks of fully paid maternity leave: 6