100 Best Companies

Some 330 men took paid leave to care for their new babies in the first year of Abbott's new paternity leave policy.

ABBOTT * Abbott Park, IL

Pharmaceutical, health-care and nutritional products company

At Abbott, the pipeline for balancing the personal and professional lives of its roughly 30,000 employees is just as vital as the pipeline for discovering innovative drug therapies and health-care products. The company expanded its parental leave policy in 2004: Fathers get two weeks of paid leave, and adoption leave for primary caregivers may now be taken either before or after the adoption (for travel or to complete the process). The company provides flexible work arrangements, and a 24/7 telephone and online support program is available for employees who need help resolving serious work/life conflicts.

Abbott also beefed up its lactation programs for new moms, offering free breastfeeding and nutritional counseling. And a new Breastfeeding Buddies program links employee mothers who've nursed while working with moms who are just starting out. All employees get access to Abbott's free shuttle to and from commuter train stations.

WHAT'S COOL: Children enrolled at Abbott headquarters' on-site child-care center can learn from hands-on science projects and get fit doing kid-tailored yoga.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: MILES WHITE

SENIOR VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES: STEVE FUSSELL

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 847-937-6100

www.abbott.com

ACCENTURE * New York, NY

Global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company

Within the hard-charging consulting world, flexible work options must meet the changing needs of the workforce. Last year, Accenture launched the Flexible Career Arrangement, a pilot program that allows managers whose jobs involve frequent out-of-town travel to take local assignments of their choosing for up to six months so that they can spend more time with their families. If no such work is available, they can use the time as an unpaid leave of absence.

Working parents at Accenture also take advantage of the firm's comprehensive parental leave, as well as new childcare policies. New fathers and domestic partners receive one week of paid paternity leave. Accenture's backup dependent-care program, which reimburses employees $50 per day, was expanded in three cities to include a service that locates care for a sick or healthy child, partner or elderly parent for just $2 to $4 per hour. And nursing moms at 16 sites can use company lactation rooms-some of them private, with sinks for convenience.

WHAT'S NEW: Accenture's Hours That Help program gives workers the option of voluntarily donating unused hours of their own leave to a coworker who may need extra time to deal with a medical crisis or a family emergency.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: WILLIAM D. GREEN

HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR: KEITH HICKS

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 917-452-4400

www.accenture.com

Fully 95% of Accenture employees are plugged into the firm via company-supplied laptop computers.

ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY * Northbrook, IL

Leading personal lines insurer

Work/life innovators like Allstate know that the key to attracting and retaining talented women is to support them with policies and benefits that help them succeed at home and at work. Last year, more than 2,000 All-state women participated in management or leadership training. And every business unit undertakes a yearly planning meeting that devotes specific time to looking at the development of high-performing female and minority leadership talent.

Many of Allstate's 37,Odd-plus employees can tap flex options like telecommuting, job-sharing, compressed workweeks and flextime. The insurer also adjusted its paidtime-off policy, now allowing hourly employees to take partial days off. Employees have access to four on- or near-site childcare centers that look after more than 170 kids, as well as 10% discounts at other national child-care providers.

WHAT'S NEW: Since many Allstate workers face issues surrounding aging parents, the company launched its Elder Care Assessment Tool to help employees evaluate their needs. And the Dallas office teamed with the Agency on Aging to offer a four-month-long Caregiver Education program.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: EDWARD M. LIDDY

SENIOR VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES: JOAN M. CROCKETT

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 800-340-0475

www.allstate.com

Allstatc's Life Works program provides employees with financial consultations and referrals for home buyi ng, credit management and more.

American Express pays employees to further their formal education. In 2004, it gave out an average of $1,000 per participant through its tuition-reimbursement program.

AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY * New York, NY

Global travel, financial and network services provider

Card members aren't the only ones reaping American Express rewards. In its sixteenth appearance on the 10O Best, the company makes sure to offer family-friendly privileges to its workforce. For instance, flex is offered in the traditional forms: job-sharing, compressed weeks and part-time schedules. More than 2,800 employees telecommuted last year, and roughly 3,800 used flextime or compressed schedules. Employees can also use pretax dollars to buy additional vacation days.

Amex is committed to meeting employees' work/life needs and maintaining a diverse workforce. Managers are held accountable for finding and nurturing diverse talent. Plus, the company's Diversity Mentoring program offers mentoring for women and minorities. Last year, some 2,000 women were mentored, and another 3,200 participated in management or leadership training as part of other programs.

NOTABLE IMPROVEMENT: In 2004, Amex spent $572,290 on child-care resources, up from $336,885 in 2003. Some 2,600 kids benefited from backup care alone: Parents have access to a child-care center at headquarters or a reimbursement of up to $75 per emergency.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: KENNETH CHENAULT

EXECUTIVE VP, HUMAN RESOURCES AND QUALITY: L. KEVIN COX

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 212-640-2000

www.americanexpress.com

AMERITAS ACACIA COMPANIES * Lincoln, NE

Diversified financial services organization

What's impressive about Ameritas Acacia is its attitude toward employees' free time. The financial services firm believes that a vacation should be strictly reserved for fun. And executives encourage employees to work with their managers to make adjustments in their workday schedule for things like school conferences and doctors' visits. This means they won't waste precious paid days off for an appointment that may take only a few hours. The company's informal childcare policies in the Bethesda, MD, office let parents bring their kids to work on snow days or school holidays. The office is stocked with enough games and videos to keep even the most restless child occupied. Other family-friendly benefits: Employees can take advantage of a flexible childcare spending account, with a 5% to 20% subsidy (depending on salary), Adoptive parents get 12 weeks of job-guaranteed leave, plus ten paid days to be used for the adoption. For nursing moms, well-equipped private pumping rooms are available.

SIGNATURE BENEFIT: Workers in Bethesda are encouraged to take up to 12 days of "community service leave" per year to work with a charitable organization or a person in special need. And staffers in Lincoln, NE, work with local public school systems to provide assistance in the classroom.

CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENTAND CEO: LAWRENCE ARTH

SENIOR VP AND DIRECTOR, HUMAN RESOURCES: JANET SCHMIDT

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 301-280-1275

www.ameritasacacia.com

Five of the six senior executives at Ameritas Acacia and its subsidiary, the Calvert Group, are working mothers.

ARNOLD & PORTER LLP * Washington, DC * Law firm

Bringing your child to the office isn't just a once-a-year treat for staffers in this DC-based law firm-it's a way of life. At lunchtime, it's common to see kids from the on-site Children's Center in the firm's main office dining with their parents in the company cafeteria. Other employees take advantage of the firm's many work options, including compressed and flextime work schedules that allow them to be there when their kids get home from school. To help employees who are working from home do their jobs more efficiently, the firm has begun to install a new phone system that automatically forwards office calls to any phone, including employees'. home lines. The firm also knows the importance of rewarding those who go above and beyond. Last winter, when Washington was blasted by crippling ice storms, the firm established a new policy: an additional hour's leave time for any employee able to come in to the office during harsh weather.

WHAT'S NEW: A career development manager was hired by the firm in 2004 to counsel attorneys on career advancement, networking and work/life balance.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: JUDITH HURLEY

DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES: ELIZABETH RESPESS

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 202-942-6671

www.arnoldporter.com

Employees who prove they exercise on a regular basis receive an annual $2OO Healthy Incentive Bonus, plus a pedometer to encourage them to keep up the good work.

AstraZeneca's Flexible Fridays allow employees at headquarters half day Fridays in exchange for an extra work hour Monday through Thursday.

ASTRAZENECA * Wilmington, DE * Pharmaceutical company

Providing workers with flexible schedules is one feat, but getting managers to support these policies is quite another. Employees and managers at AstraZeneca work together to make it happen, designing flexible schedules that work for both sides using a variety of Web-based tools and resources available on the company website. This spirit of cooperation also prompted the drugmakerto recognize a need for elder-care support and family-friendly benefits. To meet that need, the company launched AstraZeneca Eldercare Employee Network, which sponsors informational speakers, peer support and an Eldercare Fair that brings representatives of service providers on-site.

Solutions for Nursing Mothers provides phone consultations with lactation specialists on parenting and return-to-work issues for expectant and nursing mothers. It proves particularly helpful to moms who work in sales and must travel frequently. And the Women's Employee Network Group, which is aimed at mentoring females in field sales, was also rolled out last year to help these women advance.

WHAT'S COOL: AstraZeneca's Just In Time Care program pays every employee 90% of the cost for up to ten days of in-home or center-based backup child and elder care.

PRESlDENT AND CEO: DAVlD BRENNAN

VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES: PENNY STOKER

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 302-886-2200

www.astrazeneca-us.com

AVON PRODUCTS, INC. * New York, NY

World's largest direct seller of cosmetics and beauty-related products

Avon is a company for women that's powered by them. Nearly 75% of its more than 7,000 employees are female, and they hold 52% of the executive jobs and 56% of the highest-paid positions. In 2004 alone, 81 % of new manager hires were women, and more than 640 women benefited from the company's formalized executive succession planning program.

With such a large female workforce, programs that help employees balance career and home are taken seriously at Avon, which makes its ninth appearance on the Working Mother 10O Best this year. The cosmetics company lets some employees mix it up with flextime, compressed workweeks and telecommuting. As a result of the work/life survey conducted last year, Avon began offering seminars, webcasts and experts available via 800 numbers to assist employees with topics such as home buying, paying for higher education and long-term financial planning for major life events such as a new baby. New moms receive eight weeks of paid leave, and adoptive parents receive $10,000 toward adoption expenses.

WHAT'S COOL: A pilot program called 2 Places at 1 Time offers employees discounted concierge services including dry cleaning, party planning-even providing someone to go home and wait for that unpredictable cable repairman.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: ANDREA JUNG

DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES: ROSALIND BENNETT

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 866-515-1222

www.avon.com

Avon trained IOO managers last year on ways to develop flexible work schedules company wide.

BANK OF AMERICA * Charlotte, NC

Banking and financial services company with more than 5,800 branch offices

If bigger is better, then the April 2004 merger of FleetBoston Financial and Bank of America can only mean expanded perks for the company's 184,000 employees in 45 states. The financial institution's commitment to continue meeting the needs of its large workforce with creative work/life solutions is one reason that Bank of America is making its seventeenth appearance on our list. In 2004, the firm pumped up paid parental leave to eight weeks (from six weeks for new moms and from two weeks for new dads and adoptive parents) at Bank of America. In April 2005, FleetBoston employees received the same benefits. To reach the maximum number of families, there are child-care centers at headquarters and in Jacksonville, FL, and discounts at national backup centers, supplemented by $87 to $175 in monthly childcare reimbursements, available to workers who make less than $34,000 per year. Pretax accounts are available to all parents.

WHAT'S NEW: Managers at B of A have started tracking their employees' flexible work arrangements. And a new quarterly benefits newsletter is giving workers a better idea of what the company offers.

CHAIRMAN, CEO AND PRESIDENT: KENNETH D. LEWIS

CORPORATE PERSONNEL EXECUTIVE: STEELE ALPHIN

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 800-556-6044

www.bankofamerica.com

SelectTime lets employees CUt back on their hours to attend school or deal with family issues.

Baptist Health pays cash awards to employees who find creative ways to save the company money. Last year, Baptist awarded $28,400 to workers who helped them save over $200,000.

BAPTIST HEALTH SOUTH FLORIDA * Coral Gabies, FL

Not-for-profit hospital and health-care organization

Executives at Baptist Health are celebrating two major milestones this year: the fortieth anniversary of the child-care center at the health system's flagship hospital and its thirteenth appearance on the Working Mother 100 Best. Amazingly, some of the moms who had children at the center back in the 1960s are now veteran staffers. (The average tenure of Baptist's full-time nurses is ten years.)

Today, working moms make up 38% of Baptist's workforce. To retain them, the hospital sponsors three subsidized child-care centers and offers most staffers before- and afterschool care and holiday and summer programs. Employees also have the option of working on a part-time schedule.

To care for the well-being of its 10,525 employees, Baptist Health created new health and wellness programs. One helps people evaluate and lower their risk for heart disease, diabetes and other chronic conditions, and another assists those suffering from such illnesses.

WHAT'S NEW: The hospital launched the Organizational Learning Department in 2004 to help employees advance by offering everything from educational leadership programs to language courses.

PRESlDENTANDCEO: BRIAN E. KEELEY

CORPORATE VPOF EMPLOYEE SERVICES AND HR: KATHRYN M. FISK

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 786-595-6534

www.baptisthealth.net

BAYER CORPORATION * Pittsburgh, PA

Manufacturer of products used in health care, life sciences and chemical industries

For many households, striking a balance between work and home is enough to induce a migraine. Bayer provides relief for working families in the form of flexible work arrangements, especially for its female staffers. For instance, new moms are allowed 20 weeks of jobguaranteed leave, of which eight weeks are fully paid. Returning to work, salaried employees can use flextime, compressed weeks and telecommuting to make their schedules fit their busy new lives as working mothers. Moms can nurse on their lunch hour or during a break in private rooms at Bayer's facilities in West Haven, CT, Baytown, TX, and Berkeley, CA. And lactation consultants are available by phone 24/7, with info about breastfeeding classes and to teach techniques and help with problem-solving.

Various locations also offer workshops on stress management, balancing work and family and dealing with difficult teens. To keep workers fit, Bayer maintains walking trails at several plants and gives discounts at gyms and yoga studios.

WHAT'S COOL: Bayer has two remedies for the stereotype that women aren't cut out for math and science: workshops for girls on the two subjects, led by Bayer women scientists at the Berkeley site, and the Making Science Make Sense program, which lets employees take time away from the office to teach math and science to kids in kindergarten through eighth grade.

CEO: ATTILA MOLNAR

MANAGER OF WORK/LIFE DIVERSITY: DIANA KAMYK

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 412-777-2430

www.bayerus.com

New dads at Bayer get six weeks of paid paternal leave.

BAYFRONT HEALTH SYSTEM * St. Petersburg, FL

Not-for-profit teaching hospital

Managers at Bayfront are charged with helping employees maximize their job potential while making use of flextime, compressed workweeks, telecommuting and job-sharing. And under the leadership of CEO/President Sue Brody, a single mother of two, the hospital's family-friendly policies promote a culture rich in perks aimed at working parents and their families. A company-subsidized on-site child-care center, for instance, offers kids gymnastics and dance. A separate on-site sick-child-care center is complete with nursing services. And an agreement with nearby Campbell Park Elementary guarantees enrollment in the school to the children of hospital employees.

WHAT'S COOL: Women's advancement is another priority at Bayfront, which offers an Adventures in Leadership seminar designed to help the hospital's managers-52% of whom are women-develop career-boosting techniques. And Mentors & More-"M&M," as it's known-pairs new employees with veterans, to help the former get acquainted and find avenues for success and growth within the health system.

CEO AND PRESIDENT: SUE G. BRODY

DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES: DEBORAH MENENDEZ

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 727-893-6008

www.bayfront.org

A concierge service offers on site oil changes and auto detailing.

Amultimillion-dollar family center, scheduled to open in 2006, will give workers aceess to on site child care and a family medical practice.

BON SECOURS RICHMOND HEALTH SYSTEM Richmond, VA * Operator of three hospitals and health-care services

Founded by women in 1824 and led by women ever since, this 181-year-old health-care system remains true to its mission of healing and wholeness. And since two thirds of Bon secours's female employees are working mothers, the company has worked hard to accommodate them. Moms who want to spend more time with their newborns get 24 weeks of job-guaranteed leave, with six weeks partially paid. Back on the job, employees can choose from a range of flex options, including part-time work with benefits starting at 16 hours per week, compressed weeks, job-sharing, flextime and more. Those with children under 12 get help from two on-site day-care facilities that offer part-time, full-time and backup programs. Older kids can attend afterschool, holiday camp and summer camp programs.

On-site cafeterias sell milk and bread to save busy workers a stop on the way home. A pharmacy, a florist and a photodeveloping lab are also available.

WHAT'S NEW: Adoption assistance pays full-time employees $3,500 for costs associated with becoming new parents, up from $2,500 in 2004. Workers are eligible for the program after 30 days on the job.

CEO: PETER BERNARD

ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR OF WORKAND FAMILY SERVICES: DAWN MALONE

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 804-282-5950

www.bonsecours.com

BOOZALLEN HAMILTON * McLean, VA * Management consulting firm

Booz Alien Hamilton is serious about helping women get ahead. Last year, the company launched the Women's Leadership Task Force, designed to help female employees map out their future with the company, advance more quickly to the officer level and succeed once they get there. Staffers who mentor female employees are also receiving enhanced training, and manager compensation is tied to helping women advance within the company.

Already generous with its family benefits (new mothers and fathers get 12 weeks of job-guaranteed leave beyond the legislated 12), the company took another big step forward in 2004 by giving new adoptive parents $5,000 per child in aid.

An increased emphasis on building local client bases has significantly boosted morale at the company because it allows consultants to spend more time at home with their families instead of flying out of town to see clients. In addition, a newly created Work-Life Program office, headed by Natalie Jackson, a working mom, is helping employees strike a balance at work and at home.

WHAT'S COOL: Mothers-to-be who are enrolled in Booz Alien's Moms-to-Babies Maternity Management Program can take a pregnancy risk survey, receive materials on pre- and postnatal care and get discounts on lactation supplies.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: RALPH W. SHRADER

CHIEF PERSONNELOFFICER: HORACIO ROZANKI

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 703-902-5200

www.boozallen.com

More than 5,500 women at Booz. Alien participated in support and networking groups last year.

BP AMERICA INC. * Warrenville, IL U.S. division of BP P.L.C., a global energy company

As it celebrates a decade on our list, BP America is introducing a host of new programs in support of female employees. The firm recently redoubled its focus on women of color, adding several new workshops and affinity groups for Asian and Latina staffers. In Houston, it added a Diversity and Inclusion Day, with seminars on parenting and career, adoption and workplace-change adjustments.

Subsidies of up to 45% at two on-site child-care centers are available in Houston and Anchorage, AK, and average discounts of 10% are provided at several local and national learning centers serving preschool through eighth grade.

BP also takes a creative approach to meeting workers' needs outside the office. Managers and employees are urged to sign contracts outlining work/life boundaries, ensuring that both agree to respect each other's time. It seems to be working: In a 2004 survey, 78% of employees said that their managers treat them fairly.

WHAT'S COOL: BP knows how much employees value their personal time. Some business units schedule important meetings for early in the week, making it easier, for parents to take off on Fridays, while nine-hour workdays give some salaried employees the option of taking a day off every two weeks.

PRESIDENT: ROSSJ. PILLARI

SENIOR VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES: SIMON DRYSDALE

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 630-836-3673

www.bp.com

The percentage of female executives at BP America jumped to 23% from 20% in 2004.

Staffers at Bristol-Myers Squibb get an early Start on the weekend -and more time with loved ones - between May and September, when the company closes at 12:30 on Fridays.

TOP 10

BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB COMPANY * New York, NY Pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution company

Bristol-Myers's list of work/life benefits reads like a primer for the kinds of family-friendly benefits that a company should offer its employees: child care at four on-site development centers, holiday and summer programs for children, annual $300 subsidies for backup elder and child care, on-site fitness centers offering everything from rock climbing to yoga classes and on-site concierge services including a hair salon and auto repair shop. Flex options, which a 2003 Work/ Life/Diversity Assessment survey revealed were heavily used by women staffers (72% of those who flexed were female), include Job-sharing and telecommuting.

Aside from the considerable list of perks for working parents, women at Bristol-Myers also have access to resources that will support their professional advancement. In the last year alone, 500 women took advantage of mentoring programs, 6,500 underwent career counseling, and 2,200 participated in management training.

WHAT'S COOL: The playgrounds at two of Bristol-Myers's four child-care facilities are accessible for children with various physical and developmental disabilities.

CEO: PETER R. DOLAN

SENIOR VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES: STEPHEN BEAR

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 800-897-9700

www.bms.com

BRONSON HEALTHCARE GROUP * Kalamazoo, MI Not-for-profit system of hospitals, physician practices, clinics, home health care and insurance services

Fully half of Bronson's 3,931 employees have children who are school age or younger, and the hospital system has a range of programs and perks to meet parents' needs. New moms can enjoy 28 weeks of job-guaranteed leave, with six partially paid, and new dads get two weeks off at 70% of base pay. The company also offers a range of child-care options, including backup care at $2 an hour, discounted care at local facilities and a resource and referral service. And in the winter, when significant snowfalls close area schools, Bronson parents are able to take advantage of the new Snow Day Camp: The company's Kalamazoo athletic club is turned into a backup-care facility where children can play basketball, swim and do arts and crafts.

WHAT'S NEW: The Management Mentor Pilot Program grooms up-and-coming employees for leadership roles at Bronson. Candidates for the program are selected based on the health-care group's goal of increasing the number of minorities and gender-diverse managers at Bronson.

PRESIDENT AND CEO: FRANK SARDONE

SENIOR VP, HUMAN RESOURCES AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: SUSAN ULSHAFER

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 269-341 -8813

www.bronsonhealth.com

Bronson's well ness benefit covers, among other things, $600 worth of acupuncture, yoga, tai chi and menopause counseling.

CHILDREN'S HEALTHCARE OF ATLANTA * Atlanta, GA Pediatric hospital system

As might be expected of a medical center run largely by women (61% of executives and 82 % of workers are female), Children's Healthcare of Atlanta places a high value on family. Three company-sponsored day-care centers are available to staffers' children on a sliding-scale fee basis, and employees who use alternative child care receive a subsidy of $1,040 a year. Staffers-and members of the community-can enroll their preteens in the hospital's six-week FIT KIDS program, which teaches healthy eating and fitness habits. The hospital's VolunTEENS volunteer program gives employees' kids an inside, close-up look at the workings of the pediatrie health-care industry.

WHAT'S COOL: Children's Healthcare of Atlanta knows how to treat staffers who are expectant moms. Every three months, the health-care organization holds a baby shower for moms-to-be and their spouses, including adoptive parents, to say congratulations. It also provides guest speakers on topics ranging from FMLA to finding child care and even organizes a fashion show featuring the hospital's own line of maternity wear. New moms get access to a lactation consultant and the 24-hour Babyline staffed by nurses who can answer questions about infant care and health.

PRESIDENT AND CEO: JAMES TALLY, MD

SENIOR VP, HUMAN RESOURCES: LINDA MATZIGKEIT

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 800-343-0266

www.ohoa.org

Children's Healthcare gives staffers a $IOO savings bond after their babies are born.

The Employee Emergency Fund provides grants of up to $1,000 and clothing vouchers of up to $500 for workers recovering from a serious illness, loss or disaster.

CHILDREN'S MEMORIAL HOSPITAL * Chicago, IL

Health-care services company and academic medical center

Children's Memorial makes its debut on the Working Mother 100 Best because of its wide-ranging work/ life benefits and its flexible work options, including part-time schedules, seasonal positions and flextime. For instance, a nocost concierge service for all employees provides such services as dry cleaning, shoe and leather repair, film developing and jewelry/watch repair. As for child care, the company's tight location in a densely populated urban neighborhood has forced it to be creative. Instead of an on-site center, Children's Memorial offers a "virtual child-care program," including 80 hours of free inhome child care, backup care and discounts at area centers, summer programs, referrals and flexible spending accounts.

WHAT'S NEW: With an executive team that's 61 % female and a workforce that's dominated by women (81 %), Children's Memorial continues to focus on women's advancement. The hospital's mentoring program began last year to help participants develop skills to take them to the next level. Also in 2004, the first Children's Memorial on-site MBA class graduated; 70% of the class were women, and a number of them had been promoted by the spring.

PRESlDENTAND CEO: PATRICK MAGOON

CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER: BARBARA BOWMAN

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 773-880-4000

www.chlldrensmemorlal.org

CINERGY CORP. * Cincinnati, OH

Integrated gas and electric transmission and distribution company

Dedication to women's advancement starts at the top at Cinergy. The company's Balanced Workforce Initiative, designed to improve diversity at all levels, particularly in leadership roles, is an advancement effort that was implemented by CEO James Rogers. So far there are about 230 women in the Succession Planning pool, which is a program that identifies talented women for advancement within the company.

Cinergy also shows its appreciation of its female workforce with strong family-friendly programs and policies. Its maternity leave, for example, provides a smooth transition from home to work: Following 12 weeks of maternity leave, new moms can reenter on a part-time schedule worked out with their supervisor. When they return, they can use flextime or petition to work in the Virtual Office, a program that lets employees work from home full-time, using equipment provided by the company. And last year, new mothers received a 100% reimbursement for breast pump rentals for as long as they nursed.

SIGNATURE BENEFIT: Cinergy employees can take up to 30 fully paid days in cases of extreme personal emergency and can also take a leave of absence for personal reasons of up to six months, both with supervisor approval.

CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO: JAMES ROGERS

GENERAL MANAGER, INCLUSION STRATEGIES: SUZANE BRADLEY

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 513-287-2858

www.cinergy.com

Employees get help staying in shape with on - site yoga Sessions, organized fitness activities and nutrition classes.

CISCO SYSTEMS, INC. * San Jose, CA

Leading manufacturer of computer networking hardware

Women and children come first at Cisco Systems. The company gives top priority to programs designed to move women up its ranks and boost the numbers of females in the male-dominated world of technology. In 2004, the firm created a Gender Diversity Council comprised of VPs and senior VPs to identify barriers to gender diversity and drive initiatives to overcome them. Cisco also continues to expand its Girls Get IT education program, which travels to U.S. high schools to introduce and recruit girls to careers in the tech field.

Children are also valued at Cisco. The on-site child-care center, serving 550 kids, allows parents to view streaming video of their kids at play from their desktops. The company has also started a scholarship fund to help pay for the college or other postsecondary education of children of deceased Cisco employees.

WHAT'S COOL: To celebrate Cisco's twentieth anniversary, employees and their guests were treated to a free concert by Carlos Santana and Five for Fighting, with child care provided by the company.

PRESlDENT AND CEO: JOHN CHAMBERS

SENIOR VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES: KATE DCAMP

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 866-282-3866

www.cisco.com

Cisco's San Jose office offers convenient oil -site haircuts and car care services for employees.

Citigroup's online employee store offers U.S. workers discounts on products, including theme park tickets, automobiles, clothing, personal computers and wireless Services.

CITIGROUP * New York, NY * Global financial services company

You could say that 2004 was the year of the woman at Citigroup. Almost a third of senior managers hired by the firm were female, Sallie Krawcheck took the CFO reins, and a second woman was added to the company's board of directors. In addition, more than 2,600 women received management and leadership training. Citigroup's sixth Women's Council was launched to find ways to retain and increase the number of mid- to senior-level females. Three new women's networking groups were added in 2004, giving more women opportunities for professional development.

Citigroup moms and dads can make use of seven on-site full-time and three backup-care facilities, most of which offer sliding-scale fees and free overtime. And 10% discounts at national day-care ch'ains are available to all U.S. employees. As for maternity leave, Citigroup gives a generous 13 paid weeks off, a benefit that was standardized for all business units in 2004. When moms return, if management approves, they can phase back into their jobs and flex their hours or work from home.

WHAT'S COOL: The perks. There's tuition reimbursement, college scholarships for employee kids (typical value: $7,485) and six free hours of elder-care consultations.

CEO: CHARLES PRINCE

SENIOR VP OF GLOBAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS, HUMAN RESOURCESAND BUSINESS PRACTICES: MICHAEL E. SCHLEIN

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 800-559-5842

www.citigroup.com

THE CLEVELAND CLINIC FOUNDATION * Cleveland, OH

Academic medical center serving all health and surgical specialties

The Cleveland Clinic Foundation debuts on our list this year, thanks to its commitment to work/life issues. For instance, nurses can choose to work either a 10- or 12-hour compressed schedule. Among salaried workers, 98% useflextime, and 56% regularly work from home. The firm's PTO bank, a repository for vacation, sick time and holiday pay, gives workers up to 35 days each year, based on their years of service, to be used as desired. Days can also be rolled over to the next year, up to a maximum of 200 hours.

For working moms and dads, the center's new Parent Shift schedule lets nurses work just two to six hours a day and start and stop whenever they like. Those who've been out of the workforce for more than six months receive a three-week orientation to ease their transition back to work. A nearby day-care center serves 113 kids, offers a 10% discount to employees and saves ten slots for emergencies.

To diversify the pool of candidates for top jobs, the clinic is wooing more female physicians by offering flexible scheduling.

SIGNATURE BENEFIT: Keeping staffers fit. Its Center for Integrative Medicine boasts yoga, reiki and tai chi. A wellness center offers weight training, a swimming pool, a basketball court and running tracks. And a corporate health center offers checkups.

CEO: DELOS M. COSGROVE

CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER: ROBERTO LLAMAS

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 216-444-2000

www.olevelandclinic.org

Salaried employees who want to adopt can take advantage of a $5,000 reimbursement and 12 weeks of partially paid leave.

COLGATE-PALMOLIVE COMPANY * New York, NY

Manufacturer of personal and household goods and pet products

Colgate-Palmolive would like to know what working women really want. To find the answers, the company launched the Colgate Women's Network, for everyone from administrative assistants to the vice chairman. Today, the 200-member group is speaking out in favor of better work/life balance, networking opportunities and career development for working moms. And Colgate is paying attention. Last year the company launched an online mentoring program and funded new child-care programs. It negotiated discounts with 1,800-plus branches of two national child-care chains, offered subsidized rates at two near-site, company-sponsored child-care centers in Somerset, NJ, and Topeka, KS, and added four new backup child-care centers, for a total of nine.

Colgate also places a premium on personal time. Compressed summer hours allow workers to leave early on Fridays. On the first day of school, parents get the morning off to say goodbye to their child.

WHAT'S NEW: Women and men who care for elderly parents can now turn ,to the company's elder-care support group. Launched last year, it offers seminars in elder law and was designed to help employees understand the personal and legal hurdles they may encounter.

CHAlRMAN AND CEO: REUBEN MARK

VP OF GLOBAL HUMAN RESOURCES: DANIEL MARSILI

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 212-310-2598

www.colgate.com

Colgate pays employees bonuses in stock when the firm meets or beats its own financial goals.

CSF'Bs new Occasional Flex Policy establishes rules for those who want flexible schedules for a short period of time. More than 90% of employees say flex is vital to the firm's future success.

CREDIT SUISSE FIRST BOSTON LLC * New York, NY

U.S.-based in vestment banking and securities arm of Credit Suisse Group

The best-known work perk at CSFB? It may be the company's three-month sabbatical, available since 2000 to workers with only five years' tenure. Employees on sabbatical are fully paid for the first month and partly paid for the remaining two-a perfect arrangement for parents who want to take the summer off to spend with their kids. But that's not the only impressive leave policy at the firm: New moms, dads and adoptive parents get at least 20 weeks off, job-guaranteed, to look after their child. And when they're ready, they can spend eight weeks phasing back into work on a part-time schedule.

In 2004, CSFB launched its 1,100-member US Parents Network, which has organized discussion groups about raising kids and caring for aging parents. The program also provides a lactation consultant for nursing moms, who have access to lactation rooms at seven of the firm's locations, including New York, Chicago and Atlanta.

NOTABLE IMPROVEMENT: When a survey found that its flex policies needed to be clearly outlined, CSFB launched a Global Flex Work Committee. The firm now tracks all workers' flex arrangements, hoping to refine and improve their options.

CEO: BRADY W. DOUGAN

MANAGING DIRECTOR AND GLOBAL HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES: JOANNE PACE

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 212-325-2000

www.csfb.com

DELOITTE & TOUCHE USA LLP * New York, NY

Global financial services company

Imagine a maternity leave that lasts till your little one starts kindergarten. Deloitte's revolutionary Personal Pursuits, a pilot program announced in 2005, allows high-performing staffers in 18 U.S. cities to exit the company for up to five years while remaining connected to the firm and keeping their licenses, certification and job skills current through training and networking. New moms at Deloitte who work at least 20 hours per week receive 24 weeks of job-guaranteed maternity leave, with eight of those weeks at full salary.

In the hard-driving financial services business, keeping experienced, high-value partners for the long haul is key. That's why the firm offers a list of flexible work arrangements such as flextime, compressed workweeks, telecommuting and job-sharing. No wonder that in a November 2004 survey, nearly 80% of employees said that they like the job Deloitte is doing to support flexibility in the workplace.

WHAT'S COOL: Deloitte launched a Lactation Support Program in 2004 that provides a portable, professional-grade breast pump for a copay of $100. It also offers six months of unlimited telephone consultations witha certified lactation consultant and an information packet. Plus, a lactation support network helps link new nursing mothers with informal mentors.

CEO: JAMES H. QUIGLEY

MANAGING PARTNER, HUMAN RESOURCES AND PARTNER MATTERS: ALLEN THOMAS

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 212-489-1600

www.deloitte.com

Deloirte's Sharon Alien is the only woman chairing the board of. directors of a Big Four professional services firm.

DEUTSCHE BANK * New York, NY

Global financial services company

Women get a leg up at Deutsche Bank, and its family-friendly benefits help them keep their footing as they climb the corporate ladder. To boost the number of women in its mid- and upper-level ranks, Deutsche Bank created a mentor program in which groups of five employees and two senior managers work in yearlong "mentoring circles." The bank has two women's networking groups, one in New York City and another in Chicago. The groups host speakers, sponsor meetings and maintain a website to help women at Deutsche Bank connect and advance. The company also continues to promote its flex programs: About 50% of its employees telecommuted last year, and a similar number used flextime. In addition, moms got an assist from the Parents at Work lunch series, which offered info on prenatal care, newborn care and child safety.

WHAT'S COOL: A decade ago, Deutsche Bank's first Women on Wall Street Conference drew 150 attendees. Last year, some 2,300 women showed up, including Amy Butte, the CFO and EVP of the New York Stock Exchange, and Dr. Johnnetta Cole, the president of Bennett College.

CEO DEUTSCHE BANK AMERICAS: SETH WAUGH

HR OPERATIONS DIRECTOR, AMERICAS: BERNADETTE WHITAKER

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 212-250-1121

www.db.com

Fully 61% of Deutsche employees surveyed say they're able to balance work and life.

In the past two years, Discovery's Employee Body Challenge has helped workers eat healthy, get fit and collectively lose 3 tons.

DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS, INC. * Silver Spring, MD

Global media and entertainment company

Women rise to the top at Discovery Communications: The numbers of both female executives and top earners are nearly equal to those of their male counterparts, and women comprise half of the executive committee that runs the firm. In 2004, around the time that last year's Working Mother Family Champion, Judith McHaIe, was promoted to CEO, Discovery held its second annual women's leadership conference and launched a diversity-themed filmmaking project to celebrate employees' different backgrounds, talents and outlooks. Discovery's Family Learning Institute, based at headquarters, offers parenting classes, support groups for parents of toddlers and seminars on raising tweens.

WHAT'S COOL: A recent employee survey found that 89% of workers are so satisfied with their flex options that they don't want to look for jobs anywhere else. In 2004, half of all employees flexed their hours, while 10% officially worked from home. Many more took advantage of laptop computers, cell phones and BlackBerry.wireless email devices-all provided by Discovery to make it easy for corporate employees to work from wherever they need to be.

PRESIDENT & CEO: JUDITH MoHALE

SENIOR EXECUTIVEVP, HUMAN RESOURCES AND ADMINISTRATION: PANDIT WRIGHT

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 240-662-3736

www.discovery.com

DOW CORNING CORPORATION * Midland, MI

International producer and supplier of silicon-based technology and products

Women and children rule at Dow Corning. In the male-dominated field of engineering, women represent a woeful 11% of the American workforce. By contrast, Dow Corning, with a corporate executive team that is 45% female, is leading the way when it comes to promoting women into top jobs. At the helm is CEO Stephanie Burns, who is a mother of one daughter and a grandmother of two. To help even more women get ahead, Dow Coming's long-term diversity plan gives "high-potential" women the chance to take new jobs within the company. This year, Dow Corning focused on its Women's Network, which gives staffers networking and mentoring help. And for employee moms and dads, Dow Coming's Working Parents Support Network provides a website and workplace seminars and sponsors corporate charity events.

NOTABLE IMPROVEMENT: Compressed workweeks are available either year-round or just for a few months. Job-sharing and part-time options help executive women enjoy motherhood without getting off track.

PRESIDENT AND CEO: STEPHANIE BURNS

VP AND CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER: DEREK O'MALLEY-KEYES

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 989-496-4000

www.dowcorning.com

A mandatory "no-meeting" week each quarter helps employees focus on big projects-or take time off-without worrying.

DUPONT * Wilmington, DE * Diversified chemical and materials engineering company

DuPont makes its seventeenth appearance on the 100 Best this year. The firm first began surveying employees on managing work and family 20 years ago and has used their feedback to make steady improvements in its employee offerings, including the creation of an Office of Diversity and WorkLife and the hiring of two full-time WorkLife Consultants last year. The firm also makes flextime widely available. Last year more than half of DuPont's 28,000 full-time employees took advantage of it. And the company's on-site child-care center looks after about 50 infants, toddlers and preschoolers. When a crunch week demands extra hours at the office, the center at headquarters provides extended hours and backup care.

Parent support services at headquarters include health fairs and family nights in which employees and their kids participate in company-sponsored activities. Recently, local police talked about keeping kids safe and fingerprinted children to assist authorities in the event of an abduction.

WHAT'S COOL: Having a baby isn't the only reason employees need extended time off. In addition to 26 weeks of maternity leave-with eight weeks fully paid-employees can take a six-month unpaid family leave for paternity, adoption, placement of a foster child or to care for a sick family member.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: CHARLES O. HOLLIDAY, JR.

PRESIDENT-U.S. REGION, VP-DIVERSITY, WORKLIFE, U.S. LABOR RELATIONS, EEO/AA: WILLIE MARTIN

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 302-774-1000

www.dupont.com

DuPont extended benefits in 2004 to domestic partners and their children.

Concierge services including DVD rentals, take-home meals and therapeutic massages, along with on site health services such as allergy shots and X-rays, are available to Eli Lilly employees.

TOP 10

ELI LILLY AND COMPANY * Indianapolis, IN

Pharmaceutical developer, manufacturer and marketer

Women shine in math and science at Eli Lilly. In 2004, close to 60% of the scientists promoted at the company's research lab were female; they also received half the manufacturing awards. To further nurture female talent, the company created a new mentoring website and increased its focus on identifying female candidates for executive posts. The firm even flew a group of top female executives and the junior women they mentor to the Bahamas for a beachfront career-building session.

Eli Lilly offers generous alternative work arrangements-including telecommuting, flextime and job-sharing-to help support working moms as they build their careers. Plus, new mothers have their jobs guaranteed for an impressive 68 weeks. On the child-care front, the company spent $3 million on care for employees' kids in 2004, sponsoring two full-time centers at headquarters that serve 60% of workers and offer backup care.

NOTABLE IMPROVEMENT: The company expanded the hours of its on-site health services and cafeterias, which now offer healthier meals, and introduced workshops to help employees deal with work stresses.

CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO: SIDNEY TAUREL

SENIOR VP, HUMAN RESOURCES: ANTHONY MURPHY

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 317-276-2000

www.lilly.com

ERNST & YOUNG, LLP * New York, NY

Accounting and tax professional services provider

how do you retain smart, talented women in your ranks? You make sure that flexibility and opportunities for advancement are top priorities at your company, just as they are at Ernst & Young. Flextime, compressed workweeks, telecommuting and job-sharing are options open to anyone who needs them, and nearly all employees have a laptop and 24-hour access to technical support-enabling them to work anywhere, anytime. In 2004, eight out of ten users of flexible work arrangements at Ernst & Young were women.

More significantly, flexibility does not preclude promotion: In 2004, five people using flexible work arrangements rose to partner, three to principal and two to director. And since 1993, 52 women have been promoted to partner, principal or director while flexing. Opportunities for women are furthered by task forces that monitor women's career development and promote diversity. The Career Watch program, which evaluates the career paths of partnertrack women and minorities, was recently expanded to all offices.

WHAT'S NEW: In 2005, Ernst & Young introduced concierge services. The firm also rolled out a vacation carryover policy that allows employees to move unused vacation days from one year to another and take them as paid time off, as money or as a combination of the two.

GLOBAL CEO AND CHAIRMAN: JAMES S. TURLEY

VICE CHAIR OF PEOPLE: JAMES L. FREER

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 212-773-3000

www.ey.com

Ernst & Young's new backup-care program provides up to 100 hours of backup care per calendar year per employee.

FANNIE MAE * Washington, DC * Leading financial services company

Even a cursory glance at Fannie Mae's extensive family-friendly benefits makes it clear why this firm is a 12-time Working Mother 100 Best company. For starters, there are Fannie Mae's backup child-care options. A generous emergency dependent-care policy gives employees up to $40 a day for 30 days each year to help cover expenses when child care (or elder care) falls through. In the DC area, employees can tap the firm's Emergency Child-Care Center in a pinch (429 kids used it in 2004). Those outside the Beltway have access to a network of 770 centers nationwide, and if they opt for full-time care at those sites, they receive a 10% discount. In addition, the company reimburses the child-care expenses of employees who work overtime on urgent projects.

Fannie Mae's leave options provide another assist: When a family member gets sick, employees can use up to five days of family sick leave a year. They can even tap up to ten hours of paid volunteer leave a month to work at their child's school or in the community.

SIGNATURE BENEFIT: Fannie Mae's Assistance for Collegiate Education program helped more than 350 full- and part-time employees to pursue their undergraduate and graduate degrees in 2004, at an average cost of $1,640 per course. More than 50% of the participants were women.

PRESIDENT AND CEO: DANIEL H. MUDD

SENIOR VP FOR HUMAN RESOURCES: REBECCA SENHAUSER

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 202-752-8843

www.fanniemae.com

About half of Fannie Mae's employees used flcxtime, job shared or telecommuted last year.

Women are in key decision making jobs at First Horizon, where some 70% of middle and upper-level managers are female.

FIRST HORIZON NATIONAL CORPORATION

Memphis, TN * Diversified financial services company

The most profitable branches of First Horizon also boast the highest employee retention rates. That's why the financial institution helps its employees balance work and family responsibilities. Offerings include flex schedules, which were used by 58% of employees in 2004, compressed weeks and part-time schedules. New mothers can take an additional four weeks beyond their FMLA leave, and both primary and secondary caregivers can take up to 16 weeks off after adopting a child. First Horizon employees also receive a number of free services from the Rochester, MN-based Mayo Clinic, including a 24-hour nurse hotline, a pregnancy advisory program and a Tobacco Quitline. Last year, just over half of all employees participated in the Mayo Health Risk Assessment, a program designed to determine potential health-risk issues. Small wonder that 94% of employees call First Horizon "a great place to work."

WHAT'S COOL: Catch It All, a campaign aimed at improving employee communication, offers incentives to get workers to use the company's intranet site for the latest news and info about employee resources-a useful tool for those who flex.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: J. KENNETH GLASS

EXECUTIVE VP, CORPORATE AND EMPLOYEE SERVICES: SARAH MEYERROSE

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 901-523-4444

www.firsthorizon.com

FIRST NATIONAL BANK * Omaha, NE

Nationally chartered bank and merchant credit card processor

First National Bank likes to say that it can personalize an account to fit just about anyone's needs. In 2004, the bank extended that one-size-doesn't-fit-all thinking to its employees: It introduced a paid-time-off bank so employees can use days off any way they please. It's easier for moms to work part-time now that First National contributes the same benefits toward health care for part-timers as it does for full-timers. And it encourages employees to mold their schedules to fit their lifestyles-so much so that half its staffers now work a flex schedule and nearly a quarter work a compressed workweek. The result? In a recent survey, nearly 90% of employees said their managers supported their attempts to balance work and family.

To help parents, First National offers five partially paid weeks for maternity leave, and a child-care center at headquarters provides full-time, summer and holiday care. At 31 other sites, parents take advantage of the firm's pretax dependent-care accounts.

WHAT'S COOL: With a workforce that's 63% women, First National is doing a good job of nurturing female leaders. Women now account for 31% of all execs, up from 19% two years ago. And last year, Diana Mehochko, who is mom to a daughter in first grade, became the president of First National's second-largest business unit.

CHAIRMAN: BRUCE LAURITZEN

SENIOR VP AND DIRECTOR: FRAN MARSHALL

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 402-633-3808

www.firstnational.com

First National Bank reimbursed $680,000 in employee tuition in 2004. Half of those reimbursed were women.

FORD MOTOR COMPANY * Dearborn, MI

Manufacturer of motor vehicles

At Ford Motor Company's Family Service and Learning Centers throughout the United States, employees and their children can take courses on topics ranging from parenting to kiddie kickboxing. There are lots of other examples of the carmaker's commitment to a family-friendly environment: Half of its enviable on- or near-site centers, which serve more than 1,500 kids altogether, offer backup care, and some company locations offer off-site subsidized summer programs. Its compressed workweek schedules give salaried employees the option of working, say, four ten-hour days. And Ford's menu of flexible work options includes alternate starting times, which enable employees-with manager approval-to determine when they come in and leave in order to accommodate personal needs. In 2004, the company worked to make it easier for employees to use flex options: One program uses the Web to assist them in finding potential job-share partners. Nearly 400 employees shared jobs at Ford Motor Company last year.

NOTABLE IMPROVEMENT: A double first for Ford was the the advancement of two African-American women, Deborah Coleman and Felicia Fields, to corporate VP in global quality and HR, respectively. Fields was also elected an officer of the company.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: WILLIAM CLAY FORD, JR.

VP OF CORPORATE HUMAN RESOURCES AND LABOR AFFAIRS: JOE LAYMON

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 313-322-3000

www.ford.com

Salaried employees get unpaid absences for any reason for a period of three months to a year.

Freddie Mac's oil site fitness center includes a multipurpose court for indoor basketball, volleyball or soccer-and even a putting green.

FREDDIE MAC * McLean, VA

Congressionally chartered mortgage broker and investor

Because Freddie Mac is committed to enriching its 5,200 employees' lives outside the office, the company provides a wide array of work/life benefits and amenities that foster personal and professional growth. For instance, an online concierge offers assistance with travel, dining, entertainment, maid service and grocery delivery. And seminars on stress reduction, parenting, elder care and balancing work and family help improve the lives of working moms and dads.

Among the other benefits employees enjoy are tuition reimbursement, health coverage for domestic partners, a generous $8,300 adoption-expense reimbursement and access to two company-sponsored day-care centers. Parents who need emergency backup child care can use the state-of-the-art facility near the McLean headquarters for just $15 a day, and employees in the regional offices can use nearby chain child-care centers for the same fee. Flextime and telecommuting options make life even easier for employees juggling work and family needs.

WHAT'S COOL: A new on-site wellness center offers allergy shots, lab tests, cholesterol screening and other services.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: RICHARD SYRON

EXECUTIVE VR HUMAN RESOURCES: PAUL GEORGE

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 703-903-2000

www.freddiemac.com

GENENTECH * South San Francisco, CA

Biotechnology research company that develops pharmaceutical

What makes Genentech a great place to work? A resounding 94% of employees note the wide-ranging benefits and impressive perks that help working moms and dads do their best on the job and at home. Making its thirteenth appearance on the Working Mother 100 Best this year, the biotech company introduced a new-baby kit-complete with onesie, bib and pregnancy books-for expectant moms, who receive a fully paid leave of six weeks after the baby is born. For nursing mothers, there are 12 lactation rooms at four sites. And all employees at headquarters have access to an on-site child-care center with full-time, backup, summer and holiday care. At managers' discretion, child care used during a business trip or during overtime is also eligible for reimbursement. If families hit a rough patch during a child's adolescent years, they can turn to a company-sponsored specialist who will provide them with five free counseling sessions.

WHAT'S COOL: Employees at headquarters receive a free health club membership to help them stay fit and reduce stress while at work.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: ARTHUR LEVINSON

VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES: DENISE SMITH-HAMS

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 650-225-1000

www.gene.com

A concierge, farmers' market, hair salon and on-site dry cleaning are just a few of the perks available at Genentech headquarters.

GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY 8 Fairfieid, CT

Diversified technology, media and financial services company

Jeff lmmelt, General Electric's chairman and CEO, has made flexible scheduling a significant tool in the recruitment and retention of the workforce. More than 46,000 employees-a quarter of the company's entire staff-work under an informal flexible schedule and can dial into GE's intranet system to work from home or from other company offices as needed. Employees are also able to request laptops, BlackBerrys and cell phones to do business.

And in a company with 75% of its workforce raising kids under 18, providing parents with as many family-friendly choices as possible makes good business sense. GE offers five on- or near-site child-care facilities across the country and a Pinch Hitter program in some divisions that provides in-home care in cases of illness or emergency. The cost to employee parents is just $3 an hour, with the company picking up the rest of the tab.

SIGNATURE BENEFIT: Through the Work/ Life Connections program, most employees can talk with financial consultants to get help with questions on credit repair and debt management, or with licensed attorneys to get advice on state-specific legal issues. The program also provides a 24-hour hotline and a website with info on topics like choosing a summer camp, finding elder care or getting the best deal on car repairs.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: JEFFREY R. IMMELT

SENIOR VP, HUMAN RESOURCES: WILLIAM J. CONATY

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 203-373-2211

www.ge.com

Almost 70% of G E staffers say they have enough flexibility to manage their lives at work and at home.

Nearly 90% of General Mills' female staffers say the company is a good place to work and they'd recommend it to others.

GENERAL MILLS * Minneapolis, MN

Global manufacturer of packaged foods

Why is General Mills the company of choice for so many high-level and on-the-rise women? In a word: flexibility. Nearly 7,000 salaried employees used flextime last year, while more than 6,000 of General Mills' 18,500 workers opted for a compressed workweek, which includes a summer-hours program. And the personal leave policy allows employees (with management approval) to step off the career track for up to six months to take care of elderly relatives or for other personal reasons. This kind of freedom is welcomed by parents, of course. Last year, nearly 200 workers-137 of them women-used personal leave, taking off an average of almost three months. One division president has taken three personal leaves and has worked part-time without losing career traction, and some directors and executives have taken the summer off to spend time with their kids.

Of the approximately 400 new hires for managerial and professional posts last year, more than half were women.

WHAT'S NEW: In 2005, the company's adoption-reimbursement benefit jumped to $10,000 from. $5,000 per child. Part-time employees got a boost, too, thanks to a drop in health insurance premiums.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: STEPHEN SANGER

SENIOR VP, HUMAN RESOURCES: MICHAEL PEEL

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 763-764-7600

www.generalmills.com

GENERAL MOTORS * Detroit, Ml * Motor vehicles manufacturer

One look at the programs and perks General Motors offers its more than 162,700 employees and it's clear why the carmaker has been on the Working Mother 10O Best 13 times. For instance, the company launched pilot flex programs at nine manufacturing plants last year to try out flexible work arrangements for employees on assembly lines. And to ensure that moms and dads reap the benefits of a family-friendly workplace, GM Women in Engineering, which is a subset of the GM Affinity Group for Women, held a workshop last year to explore the problems female employees encounter when trying to strike a balance between work and home. The company also sponsored a Speaking of Women's Health event to educate women on making informed decisions about their well-being and personal safety.

Other benefits for working moms include generously subsidized on- or near-site childcare centers (more than 400 employee kids are enrolled) and lactation rooms available where needed, which are equipped with a refrigerator and sink. Employees at corporate headquarters enjoy on-site restaurants, bookstores, tailors and gift shops.

SIGNATURE BENEFIT: Wellness facilities, located on all GM sites and staffed with nurses, were visited by employees 880,000 times last year for everything from vaccinations to medical tests.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: G. RICHARD WAGONER, JR.

CORPORATE VP, GLOBAL HUMAN RESOURCES: KATHLEEN S. BARCLAY

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 313-556-5000

www.gm.com

General Motors invested $28 million in employees through its tuition reimbursement program last year.

GLAXOSMITHKLINE * Philadelphia, PA

Pharmaceutical research, sales and manufacturing company

GlaxoSmithKline is making its fourteenth appearance on the Working Mother 10O Best for a good reason: This major pharmaceuticals firm knows how to take care of its employees' needs, both big and small. Child care is provided at a dozen on- or near-site centers, as well as at some 1,500 other centers nationwide, and subsidized backup care for children and elderly parents is available. Before- and afterschool care as well as holiday programs are offered in several centers. Plus, summer camps-including ones for basketball, soccer and tennis-are available on-site at work locations, or parents can receive reimbursement for their kids' enrollment in similar programs. Free or discounted perks such as pregnancy massage, on-site health clubs, meditation classes and customized health-risk assessments are just some of the ways Glaxo helps moms balance work and personal life.

SIGNATURE BENEFIT: Glaxo's flexible paid-time-off policy lets employees take absences for illness (their own or their children's), elder-care issues or other family emergencies. How much time off an employee can take over and above the five days allowed each year is decided on a case-by-case basis by the manager and the employee.

CEO: JEAN-PIERRE GARNIER

SENIOR VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES: DANIEL J. PHELAN

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 888-493-6756

www.gsk.com

Most GlaxoSmithKlinc employees can vary the Start and end of their workdays.

Harvard elevated its top UR position to VP level and hired a working mom to Fill it.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY * Cambridge, MA

Private university engaged in education and research

Harvard is not only a leading educational institution but also a leader in work/life programs. With a solid track record of family-friendly policies, Harvard added a host of new employee perks last year, demonstrating that this is one school that's always learning new ways to give working mothers balance. For starters, Harvard increased its childcare subsidy bank by 20%, to $1.2 million, so more parents can spend less money to send their kids to one of six universitysponsored on-site or near-site facilities. To help with nest-egg planning, Harvard launched a series of financial and retirement planning seminars. The university also has a Real Estate Advantage Program that offers home-buying seminars and discounted services from agents and mortgage lenders to eligible employees.

Flexible and compressed schedules are on the increase at this Ivy League school: About 20% of the technical and clerical staff currently use one or the other. To make the transition easier, last year the school developed a Web-based flexwork "tool box" for managing tailored schedules.

SIGNATURE BENEFIT: Harvard employees have the option of enrolling in emergency backup-care programs that provide inhome child care or elder care when regular arrangements fall through.

PRESIDENT: LAWRENCE H. SUMMERS

VP FOR HUMAN RESOURCES: MARILYN HAUSAMMANN

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 617-495-4100

www.harvard.edu

TOP 10

HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY * Palo Alto, CA

Global provider of IT products and services

Face time with the boss isn't a requirement at Hewlett-Packard, where 23,000 employees have children under the age of 12 and flexibility is a business imperative. In 2004, more than 65% of HP's staff flexed their hours. Others shared jobs and compressed their schedules.

HP's commitment to women's advancement is evident in its mentoring and networking programs and its sponsorship of the Simmons School of Management's Women's Leadership Conference in Boston. Nearly 500 HP women from 31 states and five countries attended the event, which featured top women leaders.

NOTABLE IMPROVEMENT: When HP staff reported having difficulty balancing work and family, the company responded by meeting with some 7,000 managers, putting forth its flex policies and introducing a centralized website with information about how to apply for flexible work options that fit their hectic lives.

CEO: MARK HURD

EXECUTIVE VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES: MARCELA PEREZ DE ALONZO

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 650-857-1501

www.hp.com

Employees get discounts through 11P on computers, electronics, health and beauty aids, travel and other services.

HSBC-NORTH AMERICA * Prospect Heights, IL

International financial services company

HSBC makes its debut on the Working Mother 10O Best this year following its merger with Household International, a major credit card and consumer loan provider and a past 100 Best winner. The new HSBC-North America has fused the best perks from both companies. Among them are added adoption benefits, higher tuition reimbursements and the Family Care Plus program, which allows employees to set aside $3,333 of pretax earnings for child-care expenses annually. The "Plus" part comes from HSBC, which matches 50 cents per employee dollar up to $1,666 a year.

With a mostly female workforce (nearly 60%), the firm is committed to advancing women: 3,500 received management and leadership training in 2004.

HSBC has also instituted the Give & Take workshop for managers, designed to raise consciousness about why flexible schedule arrangements are important and how work/life balance pays off for employers and employees alike.

WHAT'S NEW: HSBC-North America offers the Senior Advocate program to help employees care for aging relatives. The program provides financial, legal and living assistance for parents, stepparents and grandparents of employees and their spouses. The company also subsidizes backup elder care.

CEO: BOBBY MEHTA

EXECUTIVE VP, ADMINISTRATION: STEVE GONABE

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 888-236-3411

www.hsbcusa.oom

HSBC rewards employees who join its Health & Wealth program with a $1OO bonus.

On a given day, one third of IBM's nearly 140,000 employees worldwide are working a flexible arrangement, either off-site with customers, by telecommuting or via remote aceess.

TOP 10

IBM CORPORATION * Armonk, NY

Global developer of software and industrial and consumer technology

A company like IBM could easily rest on its laurels as one of two that has appeared on the Working Mother 10O Best for 20 straight years. Instead, the technology and services giant continues to break ground with innovative work/life programs. Last year, the company introduced a number of flex options to every business department worldwide, including work-at-home and telecommuting options. Parents can tap IBM's premier parental leave benefits: New moms get six weeks fully paid, and new dads get two. All new parents also get full health benefits for extended unpaid leave (up to 156 weeks, job-guaranteed.)

And in a sector pushing for more women in its top ranks, IBM never stops priming the talent pump. In 2004, the company launched a pilot job-shadow program pairing high-potential women with an executive for a day, giving up-andcomers the opportunity to view executive roles and duties up close.

WHAT'S COOL: IBM produced and distributed the CD Talking to Children About Work, a collection of stories and conversations with kids and their parents about work pressures. The CD offers advice on how to be a good parent even when you're stressed.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: SAMUEL J. PALMISANO

VP OF GLOBAL WORKFORCE DIVERSITY: TED CHILDS

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 914-499-1900

www.ibm.oom

IKEA * Plymouth Meeting, PA * U.S. division of Swedish fumiture/housewares retailer

Employees at IKEA work by this guiding principle: Unleash the Potential. And it shows at this global retail home furnishings chain in which women dominate-from the corporate offices to the selling floor. Its North American president, Pernille Spiers-Lopez, is a woman, as are about half of its workers, its executives and its leadership group. And here's the kicker: Nearly 50% of the top earners at IKEA are women, too.

That may help explain why the retailer's staff of more than 8,500 provides family-friendly flex options including compressed workweeks and job-sharing. And even staffers who work fewer than 20 hours per week have access to health benefits. Employees who are offered international transfers within IKEA worldwide get their children's school tuition paid; language training, if necessary, for themselves, their spouses and their kids; and at least 25 days of vacation. If they choose to visit home, their travel expenses are paid for. Other perks? IKEA employees get six "flexible holidays" and three personal days to be used when they want them.

WHAT'S COOL: IKEA's Spiers-Lopez, a supporter of breast cancer research, offered to pay airfare and registration fees for any IKEA employee participating in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation three-day walk this year in Philadelphia.

PRESIDENT, NORTH AMERICA: PERNILLE SPIERS-LOPEZ

HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES, NORTH AMERICA: KATHLEEN KANE

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 610-834-0180

www.lkea.com

IKEA provides separate private lactation areas for employees and customers to use in its stores nationwide.

INOVA HEALTH SYSTEM * Fails Church, VA

Operator of hospitals and other health-care facilities and services

With a staff that's 80% female, Inova understands that flexibility tops the wish list for most women-especially moms. Generous timeoff options for the health system's more than 13,000 employees include an Extended Illness Bank of ten days per year for employees with at least one year of service. These days can be carried from one year to the next and can be combined with paid short-term disability and paid time off. Customized work arrangements include job-sharing, telecommuting, flextime and compressed workweeks.

Inova's other family-friendly perks include three company-sponsored on-site child-care centers that care for more than 400 kids. Last year, the company partnered with a national day-care chain to offer employees a new benefit: backup care, which can be used in emergencies, on school breaks and even as summer camp. Parents now get paid time off to care for a sick child or a grandchild. And subsidized meals-to-go are available for busy hospital workers.

WHAT'S NEW: Inova piloted the Emerging Leaders Program to train the next generation of women to lead its workforce.

PRESIDENT AND CEO: J. KNOX SINGLETON

SENIOR VP, ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS: ELLEN MENARD

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 703-321-2962

www.lnova.org

Parents' Night Out lets staffers drop off the kids for a few hours and enjoy a night on the town.

In 2004, more than 2,000 Intel employees took advantage of company-Sponsored seminars on everything from identity theft to home buying to stress management and healthy lifestyles.

INTEL CORPORATION * Santa Clara, CA

Computer hardware and software manufacturer

You'd never know by looking at its benefits package that Intel's employees are predominantly male (about 75% of the company). That's because the chip maker has a bundle of mom-friendly offerings: Child care is subsidized at seven centers near major offices and at more than 200 family-care providers around the country. Major sites provide private lactation rooms, which Intel equipped with Internet connections and telephones at the request of moms who want the option of answering email or making calls while pumping. And in 2004, Intel introduced a "reintegration" program that allows moms working in its plants to use flex or part-time schedules to return to work gradually after maternity leave. Intel also launched a class that helps first-time parents make a smooth transition from work to parenthood and then back to work. And to help parents of teens and tweens, the company launched seminars on everything from risky behaviors to effective communication, plus a mother-daughter book club.

NOTABLE IMPROVEMENT: Intel now ties managerial pay to meeting gender diversity goals, ensuring that business group managers are held accountable for female recruitment and retention.

PRESIDENT AND CEO: PAUL OTELLINI

SENIOR VP AND DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES: PATRICIA MURRAY

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 503-264-2154

www.intel.com

TOP 10

JFK MEDICAL CENTER * Atlantis, FL

Hospital serving Palm Beach County

When it's your business to care for people, how quickly you respond in a crisis tests whether or not you're good at what you do. So when hurricanes Frances and Jeanne slammed Palm Beach County during a three-week period in September 2004, CEO Gina Melby acted quickly to ensure that the needs of local residents and hospital employees were met.

In the aftermath of the storms, JFK provided transportation to and from work for those who, needed it, as well as round-the-clock child care for employees' children and free meals for everyone. Hourly in-house emails and newsletters offered info on finding shelters, filing insurance claims and other recovery-related tasks. For employees whose homes had been damaged, the hospital provided ors-site mental health counselors and no-interest loans, as well as free bags of ice (to chill perishable food and medications) and even discount laundering. More than $352,000 was distributed through the hospital's Employee Relief Fund.

WHAT'S COOL: JFK employees can opt for compressed threeday workweeks, job-sharing, reduced summer hours and two weeks of paid paternity leave.

CEO: GINA MELBY

VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES: TRUDY BROMLEY

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 561-548-3628

www.jfkmc.com

Managers frequently deliver free ice cream, cookies and coffee throughout the hospital to reward hardworking employees.

JOHNSON & JOHNSON * New Brunswick, NJ

Pharmaceutical, consumer-product and medical-device developer and manufacturer

Johnson & Johnson's prescription for work/life balance is as enduring as the 20 consecutive years the company has appeared on the Working Mother 10U Best; Pay special attention to the healthfand 'well-being of all employees. For instance, one of a slew of J&J's lofty fitness goals for year's end is helping 90% of staffers reach their ideal blood-pressure level and another 85% get their total cholesterol below 240. And CEO William C. Weldon and other top J&J executives led a Campus Walk last year, urging workers to get physically active.

The company also takes great care of the needs of employees who have families. J&J has six company-sponsored day-care centers, all of which provide full-time care and some of which also offer part-time and backup care, summer programs and school holiday care. Employee surveys that touch on work/life issues are conducted every 18 months, and the results are used to help evaluate ways for workers to find balance at work and at home.

WHAT'S NEW: All new fathers and adoptive parents now get one week of paid leave. New moms receive three weeks at full pay and at least three weeks at partial pay. All new parents with at least one year of service, including adoptive parents, are entitled to 52 weeks of job-guaranteed time off.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: WILLIAM C. WELDON

DIRECTOR, EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND WORKPLACE SOLUTIONS: MARION HOCHBERGSMITH

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 732-524-0400

www.jnj.com

Day care is open to the grandchildren of J&J employees and, at some sites, other family members.

Last year, 14,400 women participated in either the leadership-training or mentoring program at JPMorgan Chase, and 5,500 received formal career counseling.

JPMORGAN CHASE * New York, NY * Banking and financial services firm

Employees at JPMorgan Chase are rich in family-friendly benefits, including 12 weeks of fully paid maternity leave and reimbursement of $10,000 toward adoption expenses and up to $20,000 for in-vitro fertility procedures. They also have access to the bank's 17 backup childcare sites, which served more than 23,000 children las,t year. In addition, an eldercare management program provides six free hours of services, including in-person assessment of older relatives, scheduled check-ins and respite care so family members can take a breather.

To hold managers accountable, the firm has employees rate them on their support of family-friendly programs-and executives' bonuses are based partly on their scores. The firm's commitment to its employees goes beyond generous perks. When hurricanes slammed Tampa, FL, last year, JPMorgan Chase set up contingency child-care sites, supporting 107 children until schools were able to reopen.

SIGNATURE BENEFIT: The firm demonstrates its commitment to work/life programs through LifeWorks, its resource and referral service. In a 2004 survey, 98% of workers reported they were satisfied with the service, 82% said it helped reduce stress, and 70 % missed less work because of it.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: WILLIAM HARRISON

EXECUTIVE VP, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES: JOHN FARRELL

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 212-270-6000

www.jpmorganohase.com

KING'S DAUGHTERS MEDICAL CENTER * Ashland, KY

Not-for-profit hospital

Not just any company can claim a 98% employee retention rate. But the family-friendly culture at King's Daughters Medical Center makes it easy to see why workers, especially mothers, are content to stay at this hospital. King's Daughters offers a wide range of flexible shift assignments to choose from so that parents can tailor their work schedules around their kids. The on-site Child Development Center looks after both children and grandchildren of employees and even provides Parents' Night Out babysitting twice a year. The medical center also provides a Safe Sitters program to teach teens rescue skills and basic first aid. Plus, it runs a Summer Teen Volunteer program designed to give older kids a look at healthcare career opportunities.

Other perks include up to $3,000 for adoption, as well as interest-free loans for purchase of a home computer. Qn-site, employees can have prescriptions filled, do their banking, get dinner to go, buy stamps and more. New mothers receive a welcome basket of goodies with diaper bags, bibs and thank-you notes. Also, new parents can enjoy a complimentary takehome meal from an area restaurant.

WHAT'S COOL: New moms who want to work during their maternity leave receive a laptop computer to use at home during their time off.

PRESIDENT AND CEO: FRED JACKSON

VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES: LARRY HIGGINS

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 606-327-4408

www.kdmc.oom

The hospital provides free Thanksgiving and Christmas meals to staffers and their families during holiday shifts.

KPMG LLP * New York, NY * Audit, tax and advisory services firm

The impressive list of family-friendly benefits offered at KPMG says a lot about what this Big Four accounting firm is doing to further a flexible workplace. KPMG offers "his and hers" parental leaves (two weeks of paid time off), and new moms receive 14 weeks of additional job-guaranteed leave beyond the legislated 12, as well as the option of easing back to work. Other flex perks include a full or half day off every two weeks all summer long. Staffers can opt to donate hours of their own vacation or sick leave (from PTO banks) to colleagues who need extra time to deal with family emergencies or bereavement. As for the advancement of female employees, it's clear that they lead in top jobs. In 2004, an impressive 47% of first-line managers were women. And KPMG's Network of Women, an initiative designed to retain, develop and advance women, expanded in 2004 from three offices to a total of 36 chapters. This year, more than 1,250 of KPMG women are participating in a mentoring relationship.

NOTABLE IMPROVEMENT: To assist workers when their childcare arrangements suddenly fall through, KPMG provides a network of backup caregivers offering in-home or center-based care for employees in all offices nationwide:

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: EUGENE D. O'KELLY

VICE CHAIR, HR: BRUCE PFAU, PHD

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 201 -307-7733

www.us.kpmg.com

Partners and employees sometimes enjoy free Healthy Breakfast Fridays in the cafeteria.

LEGO offers yoga, Pilates and self-defense classes to workers at headquarters.

LEGO SYSTEMS, INC. * Enfield, CT * Manufacturer of popular children's toys

How does LEGO accommodate its 234 employees with kids under 12? The firm has a child-care center at headquarters that offers regular and backup care for around $180 per week. Parents who live far from the corporate offices can make use of a 10% discount at a national child-care chain. And should a child fall ill, the parent can work from home. In fact, last year almost half of LEGO employees telecommuted, flexed or compressed their schedules, with salaried full-time employees using the options most often.

Along with these work/life benefits, LEGO offers an environment, complete with Ping-Pong, foosball and LEGO tables, that beckons adults to think as creatively as kids. Trips to new-movie sneak previews, the zoo, Red Sox games or discount shopping are woven into the workweek. And on-site fitness and wellness centers help employees ease stress and stay healthy.

NOTABLE IMPROVEMENT: Since women make up more than half of the company's employees, LEGO kicked off a program aimed at increasing the number of females in its executive ranks. To help women advance, the company launched a Senior Talent Program, which offers high-level mentoring and gives promising LEGO staffers a chance to train throughout the company's business units.

CEO: SOREN TORP LAURSEN

DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES: MARY SUTTON

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 860-749-2291

www.lego.com

LEHMAN BROTHERS * New York, NY

Global investment banking and financial services firm

Even investment bankers accustomed to the fast-paced world of global finance need a break from the ups and downs of Wall Street. That's why Lehman Brothers, which makes its first appearance as a Working Mother 10O Best company, offers partially paid three-month sabbaticals to employees who've been with the firm at least ten years. Other initiatives include a new sick-day policy allowing employees to take time off when their kids aren't feeling well, a week off for nonprimary caregivers following a birth or adoption and enhanced vacation time for all employees. That's in addition to the 12 weeks of fully paid leave given to primary caregivers-whether a mother or a father by birth or adoption. New parents can phase back to work on a part-time schedule with a manager's approval. Nursing moms have access to lactation rooms equipped with recliners and refrigerators, and a support hotline is ready to answer any questions about prenatal and postnatal issues.

WHAT'S NEW: Lehman's Life Balance program-with flextime, compressed work-weeks, telecommuting and job-sharing-got better with an online application system that guides employees through the process of applying for flex work. Both managers and employees can also view success stories detailing how others have arranged flexible work schedules.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: RICHARD S. FULD, JR.

CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER: ANNE R. ERNI

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 212-526-8444

www.lehman.com

The female network Women's Initiatives Leading Lehman was a major catalyst in the overhaul of the firm's flex policies.

LINCOLN FINANCIAL GROUP * Philadelphia, PA

Financial services company for individuals and institutions

With every appearance on the Working Mother 100 Best-19 years and counting-Lincoln Financial has enhanced and expanded its menu of perks for employees. For example, a new company policy grants health benefits to part-time employees as soon as they're hired. Lincoln employees can also take advantage of flexible scheduling options. New mothers receive six weeks of fully paid leave, and, as of last year, dads can take three paid weeks anytime within the child's first year. Plus, the financial services firm provides its own employees with financial planners who conduct workshops and meet individually with them to discuss their financial futures.

WHAT'S COOL: Lincoln has a spotlight trained on the careers of its female employees. In addition to offering incentives for executives and managers who help women move up, the company holds an annual two-day program targeted at high-potential female employees to help them develop skills they need to advance, including networking and troubleshooting work/life problems that often hinder the advancement of women executives.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: JON A. BOSCIA

VP OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS AND DIVERSITY: KAREN FOWLER-WILLIAMS

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 215-854-1661

www.lfq.com

In 2004, Lincoln Financial granted $1 million to community programs focused on child care, elder care and parenting.

Over the next five years, Marriott plans to double the number of women-owned and minority-owned suppliers and companies it works with, spending a cool $1 billion.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. * Washington, PC

Global hotel Wu lodging company

Best practices in business is a cornmon conference topic, but you rarely hear about a "bast practices in life" conferenoe. You do at Marriott. A workshop aimed at helping staffers strike a better work/life balance was one of the most popularof its four regional Women's Leadership Cqnferenees in 2004, and one more reason the hotel giant is making its fifteenth appearance on the Working Mother 10O Best.

Other reasons include Marriott's wide array of generous flex options, such as. reducqd-work scheduler that allow employees to scale down their hours to accommodate their lives. And at many of the global hotel company's locations, a flexible holiday program lets staffers substitute, a day of their choice, such as a child's birthday. for one of the company's seven holidays. About ten locations have access to on- or near-site child-care centers, and for employees at other offices there are discounts that average about 10% at child-care centers nationwide.

SIGNATURE BENEFIT; Marriott International employees receive discounts on lodging and vacation activities at any Marriott-brand facility.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: J.W. MARRIOTT, JR.

VP, WORKFORCE EFFECTIVENESS AND DIVERSITY: MARUIEU PERKINS-CHAVEZ

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 301-380-7846

www.merriott.com

MASSACHUSETTS MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY * Springfield, MA * Global diversified financial services organization

Massachusetts Mutual knows, that the wprk/life needs of its more than 5,200 employees are always changing. That's why Working parents can select front an array of alternative'work arrangements like telecommuting and job-sharing. Parents of young children have access to company-sponsored child care, as well as backup, holiday, summer and before- and aftersohool options, through subsjdized national child-care centers. Other perks at the company's main offices range from oivsite health services to fitness centers to dry cleaning and personal-package rnailing. The company also spent more than $2.5 million last year to subsidize tuition costs for employees. An on-campus evening program offers BA and MBA courses frpm a number of colleges, or workers can opt for the University@M program and choose from more than 40 business-related courses.

WHAT'S COOL: The financial services organization offers employees who are first-time home buyers a forgivable loan of $5,000 toward the purchase of a home valued at up to $140,000 in Massachusetts and $150,000 in Connecticut.

PRESIDENT AS|D CEO: STUART H. REESE

VP, HUMAN RESOURCES: STEPHANIEALLSUP

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 866-662-6448

www.massmutual.com

Employees get a generous vacation and personal time package that lets parents use paid time to care for their kids.

MBNA AMERICA BANK, N.A. * Wilmington, DE

Global fintincial services company and a lecdipg lssifer of credit cards

Working moms trying to balance their lives at home and at work have a friend in MBNA, The financial firm boasts six on-site child-care centers in four location's, all of which offer full-time, backup, holiday and 'sick-child care. The firm supports 27 community-based day-care and family centers and reimburses employees who are traveling on short notice for expenses like child and ejder. carer-even kennel fees. Maternity leave includes six weeks of short-term disability-partly or fully paid, depending on tenure-plus six paid weeks of parental leave, As new moms phase back, they pan opt for reducing the hours or number of days they work.

MBNA's flex options are hard to beat, More than, two thirds of employees flexed their schedules last year, while almost a tenth telecommuted or compressed their hours, The firm is currently adding remote access to office email in some departments, making it easier for employees to be oft-site. Employees who work just 24 to 35 hours per week receive full benefits.

SIGNATURE BENEFIT: If an MBNA worker or spouse passes away, the firm looks after the family, granting a $24,000 CD for college to each child under 18. In addition, family members covered under the deceased's health plan receive full benefits and salary for 18 months.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: JOHN COCHRAN

GROUP EXECUTIVE: TERRI MURPHY

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 302-453-9930

www.mbna.com

MBNAs 17 lactation rooms come with electronic breast pumps. Registered nurses and educators are available on site or by telephone.

McGraw-HiII employees enjoy such perks as shopping discounts, health and fitness centers, financial education seminars and a company Weight Watchers program.

THE McGRAW-HILL COMPANIES * New York, NY

Publishing and communications company

One look at McGraw Hill's wide array of family-friendly offerings makes it clear why this publisher of BusinessWeek, Standard & Poor's and textbooks appears (for the first time) on the Working Mother 10O Best. In 2004, the company introduced backup dependent care for its 13,500-plus employees in North America. Employees can use 10O hours of backup care per year at a fraction of the actual cost-$2 per hour per child for drop-in care, $4 per hour for in-home care-with McGraw-HiII picking up the balance. The program also covers elder-care needs.

Flexibility is built into McGraw-Hill's culture and includes the options of flextime, compressed workweeks and job-sharing. In a survey last year, 94% of employees said their manager provides flexibility so they can better manage work and home lives.

WHAT'S COOL: In 2004, McGraw-Hill launched WINS, or Women's Initiative for Networking & Success, to cultivate women's career development, leadership abilities and business knowledge. Partnering with Mentium, the mentoring vendor, WINS piloted a formal program that paired 55 high-potential women with executives.

CHAlRMAN PRESlDENT AND CEO: HAROLD McGRAW III

EXECUTIVE VP, HUMAN RESOURCES: DAVID L. MURPHY

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 212-512-2000

www.mcgraw-hill.com

MERCK & CO., INC. * WhitehouseStation, NJ

Global research-driven pharmaceutical products company

After nineteen years on the Working Mother 100 Best, this work/life pioneer's expansive and inventive family-friendly programs and perks are tough to match. Merck touts four on-site child-care centers offering full-time, parttime, summer and holiday care for kids 6 weeks old through kindergarten age, as well as music, cooking, science and Spanish classes. On-site after-work perks for parents at various Merck locations include concierge services, health-care clinics and gyms. For sales employees, Mondays at Merck are considered meeting-free, so staffers can take some time to ease back in after the weekend.

Women currently make up a third of new execs and candidates for the firm's succession plan and represent roughly 40% of new managers and "early talent" considered for top jobs. The Women's Network, which counts 800 members, gives awards to "Merck's Most Amazing Women." Last year, the network introduced a seminar series on exploring career pathways in sales and marketing.

WHAT'S NEW: To promote flexibility, Merck introduced work/life training for 540 new "people managers" last year and asked that employees' requests for alternative . work arrangements be honored with at least a trial.

PRESIDENT AND CEO: RICHARD T. CLARK

SENIOR VP, HUMAN RESOURCES: MARCIA J. AVEDON

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 908-423-1000

www.merck.com

Employees at headquarters can take a midday break and stroll the nearby nature trails.

METLIFE, INC. * Long Island City, NY

Global insurance and financial services firm

Supporting and advancing women is standard procedure at MetLife. Almost half of the 1,155 managers who participated in the firm's management and leadership workshops last year were female. Women made up nearly half of all MetLife's new executive hires last year, and 72 women were promoted to the firm's executive ranks. The company also has an e-learning program that lets working moms pursue a master's degree online.

To give mothers the support they need, MetLife provides child care at 190 participating centers nationwide and guarantees backup care at ten locations throughout the country. Employees can work out a flex schedule with their manager, choosing from telecommuting, flexed hours, compressed workweeks and part-time schedules-all of which come with health benefits for employees who work at least 20 hours a week.

WHAT'S COOL: MetLife helps its people and their families manage chronic illnesses such as cancer or diabetes. Care is offered at no cost to employees covered under one of the company's UnitedHealthcare medical options.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: ROBERTH. BENMOSCHE

SENIOR VP AND HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES: JAMES HESTON

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 877-843-4772

www.metlife.com

MetLife offers a "well ness dividend" of $300 per family for those who join health programs.

Adventure, science and Sports camps are some of the offerings of Microsoft's School's Out! program for employees' school -age kids.

MICROSOFT CORPORATION * Redmond, WA

Computer software developer

Microsoft offers parents useful and inventive perks from birth and beyond. Moms and dads of newborns receive a "welcome baby box" stocked with infant clothes and supplies. New mothers get 12 weeks of leave at full pay, and adoptive parents receive four weeks. Nursing mothers have free 24/7 phone access to a licensed nurse. Workers at headquarters can also tap the near-site child-care center and subsidized backup care, and flexible work schedules, including compressed weeks, part-time schedules and telecommuting, are available with manager approval.

Microsoft offers paid memberships to health clubs in Washington, California, North Carolina and Texas. Employees at other sites receive $200 a year to use for their own exercise program. On-site health services include blood pressure screenings, mammograms and cholesterol checks.

WHAT'S COOL: With the goal of getting 30% of its workforce to leave single-occupant vehicles at home, the company headquarters offers free public transportation passes, van pools and a guaranteed-ridehome program. Employees who bike to work can use on-site showers and lockers.

CEO: STEVE BALLMER

CORPORATE VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES: LISA BRUMMEL

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 425-882-8080

www.microsoft.com

MORGAN STANLEY * New York, NY

International brokerage and financial services firm

The Morgan Stanley slogan is "One client at a time," and when it comes to flexibility, the firm promotes employee individuality as well. Flextime, jobsharing, telecommuting, compressed workweeks and reduced schedules are widely available. In 2004, the company held its second annual Work-Life Week, which included book fairs and seminars all about career and family. Morgan Stanley also held a discussion panel on flexible work arrangements to help educate employees and managers about alternative schedules. Employees who flex, telecommute and jobshare served as panelists and shared their personal insights with colleagues.

Other top-of-the-line benefits include 12 fully paid weeks of leave following a birth, adoption or foster-care placement, plus reimbursement for special-needs adoptions at a generous $6,000. And in-home emergency child and elder care is provided at no cost for the first 80 hours. Other perks at various locations include massage, physical therapy, immunizations and Weight Watchers meetings.

WHAT'S NEW: Senior women at Morgan Stanley rolled out the Women's Leadership Conference in New York City last year. It partners top-level females with rising stars to explore ways to boost women's leadership at the firm.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: JOHN J. MACK MANAGING DIRECTOR, GLOBAL HEAD OF

DIVERSITY AND WORK-LIFE: MARILYN F. BOOKER

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 212-762-2043

www.morganstanley.com

Morgan Stanley offers employee parents backup care at no cost, up to 20 uses per child per year.

MOTOROLA INC * Schaumburg, IL

Provider of broadband, embedded electronics and wireless communications solutions

Motorola returns to the Working Mother 10O Best with innovative family-friendly policies. In recent years, the company has tracked the alternative work arrangements of its 30,000 employees, held panel discussions on work/life balance and added a website where managers and employees can find tools and info about flexibility. Summer hours allow staff to take off early on Fridays. And a new paid-time-off policy combines sick, vacation and personal days to give workers more control over their free time. Employees with just six months' tenure can take 13 job-guaranteed weeks of parental leave-five of them partially paid-to have or adopt a child.

The firm also has five on-site childcare centers in four locations, which offer backup, summer and holiday care. Employees at other sites receive discounted care through major national chains and community-based sites. And moms who are expecting can use on-site wellness centers that offer prenatal and postpartum exercise classes. Larger office locations have private rooms for breastfeeding or pumping, and new moms receive a $250 reimbursement for a breast pump.

WHAT'S NEW: As part of this year's focus on increasing diversity, vice presidents' compensations will be tied to promoting women and people of color.

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD AND CEO: ED ZANDER

EXECUTIVE VR HUMAN RESOURCES: RUTH A. FATTORI

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 847-576-5000

www.motorola.com

Motorola workers who put in at least 2O hours a week get all health benefits.

Unlike other employee assistance programs, Northern Trust calls its-support system for workers the Family Assistance Program, to emphasize that its focus isn't just on career but on home, too.

NORTHERN TRUST CORPORATION * Chicago, IL

Multibank financial services organization

One good sign that shows you your firm truly supports flexibility for its employees is when part-time workers get full benefits. Northern Trust Corporation extends top-of-the-line benefits to those who work 20 hours a week. Last year, 37% of employees compressed their schedules, while 35% varied their start and stop times and 15% worked offsite or from home. And 1,300 managers were trained to manage flexible schedules.

Other offerings that are especially helpful for Northern Trust's working parents include a child-care center at headquarters offering full-time and backup care for a sliding-scale fee, with a quarter of the spots reserved for moms and dads earning under $40,000. A Holiday Kids Kamp at headquarters serves children ages 6 through 12 during winter school breaks for just $25 per day. Also, business travel child care is reimbursed.

WHAT'S NEW: To further support its employees' professional achievements, the financial services firm launched an Executive Networking and Mentoring Program in early 2004; half of the participants are women. And in September 2004, 280 senior-level women got together at the firm's first Women in Leadership Forum.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: WILLIAM OSBORN

EXECUTIVE VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES: TIM MOEN

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 800-807-0302

www.northerntrust.com

NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE

Chicago, IL * Not-for-profit health-care system and academic medical center

How did Northwestern Memorial, which serves thousands of Chicago residents, garner a patient satisfaction rating in the 95th percentile last year? By being smart enough to know that its employees have to be taken care of, too. That's why Northwestern's on-site Children's Care Center opens at 6:30 a.m. and doesn't close until 6:00 p.m., and offers flexible time slots to accommodate the hospital's 24-hour day. Workers can also toggle between full-time and part-time status without losing their full health-care benefits.

Northwestern keeps an eye on the advancement of its female employees. Last year, 19 of the 29 people promoted to management positions were women, and 12 of the 14 new managers hired were female. The hospital also formed the Women's Leadership Committee to provide support and mentoring for its female managers.

WHAT'S COOL: Perks await new moms returning to work. Four Mothers' Rooms come equipped with commercial pumps, comfortable chairs and light dimmerseverything a breastfeeding mom could need to make pumping easier. Lactation programs, classes on pre- and postnatal care, a nursing-mother program and support groups are available. In addition, a breastfeeding hotline is staffed seven days a week, free of charge.

PRESIDENT AND CEO: GARY MECKLENBURG

SENIORVP, HUMAN RESOURCES: DEAN L MANHEIMER

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 312-926-2141

www.nmh.org

At Northwestern, nearly all (96%) full- time salaried employees were provided access to flextime last year.

NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORP. * East Hanover, NJ

Developer and manufacturer of pharmaceutical and health-care products

Parents who work for Novartis simply rest easier about their families. Discounted full-time, before- and afterschool, summer and holiday care is available at more than 1,250 child-care locations in 39 states. And a 24-hour Caregivers on Call service provides inhome child and elder care for Novartis's New Jersey and Suffern, NY, employees at a reduced cost of $25 per day. In 2004, the pharmaceuticals firm conducted its first work/life and child-care survey, resulting in plans for a full-time, on-site childcare facility at the company's headquarters.

Telecommuting, which began as a pilot program with IT staffers, became available to all employees at the East Hanover headquarters in 2004. The firm also gave hundreds of workers BlackBerry devices so they could keep in touch while working off-site and began providing associates in the field with high-speed access and wireless connectivity to help make it easier for them to download files and check email.

NOTABLE IMPROVEMENT: The numbers of women at the top are growing at Novartis: Last year, 27% of new execs hired were female (up from 14%), as were 43% of newly hired managers and supervisors (up from 39%). The firm's executive women's group launched monthly networking breakfasts last year, as well as a pilot mentoring program for females at or above director level.

PRESlDENTAND CEO: PAULO COSTA

ACTING VP: JUDY O'HAGAN

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 862-778-5430

www.novartis.com

Novartis workers get healthy lifestyle rci mburscmcnts: $100 for gym fees and $50 for nutrition classes.

"Green" parking spots closest to the company's main entrance go to the staffers who drive hybrid and bio-diesel cars or use carpools.

PATAGONIA, INC.* Ventura, CA * Outdoor apparel and accessories company

The "surf casual" dress code at Patagonia is about as laid back as the apparel maker's attitude about flexibility. The company's philosophy is that a career can coexist with a healthy, balanced life, and employees use flextime, telecommuting and other options to help them achieve that goal. Patagonia managers, trusting that employees know how to get their jobs done, have no problem with occasional extended lunches to visit a child at day care, go for a run or even catch some waves. New dads and adoptive parents get eight weeks' paid leave, and as of 2004 adoptive parents receive a $5,000 subsidy toward adoption-related expenses.

Moms at the Venture headquarters can visit their children at the on-site Child Development Center and nurse in one of two lactation rooms. To show its commitment to employee family time, the center closes sharply at 5:15 p.m. everyday.

As for helping women advance, the company is now formalizing its recruiting and hiring policies for women. And Patagonia boasts a 100% participation rate among females for mentoring and networking.

WHAT'S COOL: Patagonia execs believe a healthy environment will nurture future generations. The company's Environmental Internship Program lets employees take up to two paid months off to work full-time for the environmental nonprofit organization of their choice.

PRESIDENT AND CEO: MICHAEL CROOKE

VP OF LEGAL AND HUMAN RESOURCES, GENERAL COUNSEL: MONA PATEL

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 805-643-8616

www.patagonia.com

PEARSON EDUCATION * Upper Saddle River, NJ Integrated educational publishing firm

Pearson Education wants its moms to do their best at home and at work-and the family-friendly services prove it. Emergency backup child care (which employees can use up to 20 days a year for $15 per day or less), health club benefits, get-ahead career forums and on-site massages are some of the ways the company demonstrates its commitment to its employees. Perks such as flex options, which were used by more than half of its workers last year, tuition reimbursement and workshops on topics like stress management and family/work balance help women achieve their goals.

WHAT'S NEW: One quarter of respondents to a 2004 survey of Pearson employees said that they care for both children and aging parents. The company is paying attention: It has an on-site geriatric-care manager in five locations to help employees by locating care, tapping community resources, providing information and offering general advice.

CEO: MARJORlE SCARDINO

SENIOR VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES: CHRISTINE TRUM

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 201-236-3378

www.pearsoned.com

Almost two thirds of Pearson employees tap its Summer hours program, which lets them take Friday afternoons off.

PFIZER INC.* New York, NY * Global pharmaceutical company

Families are No. 1 at Pfizer, where dependent care for kids and seniors is at the heart of the pharmaceutical company's work/life programs. In 2004, Pfizer's four state-of-the-art child-care centers and one dedicated backup center tended to nearly 1,200 kids, with the centers in Ann Arbor, MI, and Groton, CT, providing a full-day kindergarten and formal pre-K program, respectively. And all of Pfizer's full-time centers also offer backup school holiday care and summer care. In 2004, members of one of Pfizer's largest divisions, Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals, benefited from a new travel dependent-care policy that reimburses them up to $125 a day for care when they must travel beyond the normal requirements of their jobs.

For employees caring for an elderly parent or other loved one, Pfizer expanded its Colleagues in Caregiving program beyond its pilot program at the company's New York City headquarters. Three work sites now offer elder-care support groups, an upgraded website and other resources.

WHAT'S NEXT: There's now a multiyear road map for increasing diversity at Pfizer. Launched this year, the program makes managers responsible for ensuring that high-potential women and people of color have a talent advancement plan.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: HENRY McKINNELL

SENIOR VP HUMAN RESOURCES: SYLVIA MONTERO

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 866-476-8723

www.pfizer.com

On site health and fitness centers are available at 13 Pfizer sites nationwide.

Adoptive parents at Phoenix get a paid week off and up to $6,000 in adoption aid.

THE PHOENIX COMPANIES, INC. Hartford, CT Life insurance, annuity and asset management company

Despite a major reorganization, leaving its workforce 27% leaner than it was two years ago, Phoenix has continued its strong commitment to work/ life programs. One of the most impressive is its flex program, which lets workers tailor their schedules. Last year, an estimated 95% of employees took advantage of it.

To make up for last year's loss of its on-site child-care center (sponsorship was transferred to another firm after the sale of the company's offices in Enfield, CT),. this year Phoenix began offering a company-wide 10% match for employees' dependent-care flexible spending accounts. It was a hit: Employee enrollment in the program has skyrocketed 53%.

In early 2005, the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE) named The Phoenix Companies one of its Top 30 Companies for Executive Women for the fourth consecutive year. The firm boasts four women on its 13-member board of directors, and six of the 25 senior executives are women. In total, 29% of executives are female, including CEO Dona D. Young.

WHAT'S NEW: In response to feedback from extensive employee surveys conducted in 2004, Phoenix launched a new adult caregivers' networking group in 2005 and is exploring increased access to telecommuting for this year and beyond.

CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO: DONA D. YOUNG

SENIOR VP OF CORPORATE SERVICES: BONNIE J. MALLEY

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 860-403-5000

www.phoenixwm.com

PITT COUNTY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL * Greenville, NC Academic medical center that cares for patients in 29 eastern North Carolina counties

Lots of moms and dads at Pitt County Memorial Hospital wanted to work weekends. By scheduling 12-hour weekend shifts, they could be home with their children during the week and still receive partial benefits. The problem was, there weren't enough shifts to go around. So in 2004, Pitt increased the number of weekend positions. It's just one of the ways the hospital-which now has 14 different staffing options available-helps moms arrange their schedules to suit family needs. In fact, the hospital's Working Mother Task Force, formed in early 2004 and now 45 members strong, meets regularly to discuss ways to improve the lives of working moms and brings in experts for seminars on subjects ranging from women's wellness to college savings accounts. And since nurses working 12-hour shifts have little time to attend PTA meetings, the task force invites representatives of trie Pitt County schools to update working parents on news in the school system.

WHAT'S NEW: In July 2004, the hospital opened the ViQuest Clinic, an on-site holistic center offering accessible and convenient preventive care such as preconception counseling and examinations, wellness checkups and disease management for diabetes, high blood pressure, and other chronic illnesses.

PRESIDENT: DEBORAH DAVIS

CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCE OFFICER: TYREE WALKER

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 252-847-5620

www.uhseast.com

New moms who want to phase back in part- time can work 20 hours a week without having to forfeit their pension.

PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP, INC. * Pittsburgh, PA Financial services firm providing personal banking, investment banking and corporate financing

Half of PNC's 23,097 employees used a menu of flexible-scheduling options last year. Other family-friendly perks: three child-care centers for backup care, access to full-time care for new moms in their first eight weeks back to work, a kids' summer program and PNC's New Mothers' Rooms, which include Medela double breast pumps, a fridge, comfortable chairs and nursing stools, extra pump-kit accessories and an outside phone line.

To encourage the advancement of all women at PNC, the firm developed a genderawareness program in 2004 to encourage men and women to appreciate their differences and their strengths. PNC established a performance review' process last year that holds managers accountable for the development of senior women.

WHAT'S COOL: The firm's newly expanded elder-care program offers check-in services that have a care provider check on an employee's elderly relative, by telephone or in person, no matter where he or she lives.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: JAMES ROHR

SENIOR VP AND MANAGER OF WORK LIFE DIVERSITY: KATHLEEN D'APPOLONIA

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 412-768-3876

www.pnc.com

Qualified employees get a $250 discount on new home closing costs and up to $1,000 of assistance.

At PwC, mom employees act as Mommy Mentors to new mothers on staff, helping them choose child care, decide on a new schedule and make the transition back to work.

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PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP * New York, NY Global accounting firm

roviding parents with more child-care options and expanding leave policies are two ways that the accounting giant helps workers find work/life balance. Discounts of 10% at 2,700 child-care centers eased the cost crunch, as did reimbursement of up to $50 a day for 20 weekdays and unlimited weekends of backup care. PwC also began offering 15 paid days of leave for all new parents. This gives new birth moms 11 fully paid weeks off-and adoptive moms nine if they're the primary caregiver.

Flexible work arrangements, including telecommuting and part-time schedules, are common. Plus, PwC rolled out an innovative pilot program in 2004 to track seven of the firm's client portfolio teams and find ways to reduce staffers' workloads while enhancing client services. The firm is also exploring On/Off Ramp options to keep women plugged in-and help them make a seamless transition back to work-when they leave PwC in order to care for kids and elderly relatives.

WHAT'S NEW: In 2004, four female Diversity WorkLife Champions were named to promote flexibility and inclusiveness across their respective business units.

CHAIRMAN AND SENIOR PARTNER: DENNIS M. NALLY

CHIEF DIVERSITYWORKLIFE OFFICER: J. CHRISTOPHER SIMMONS

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 646-471-4000

www.pwc.com

PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP * Des Moines, IA Global financial institution offering businesses and individuals a range of products and services

Women rule at Principal Financial Group. In 2004, 70% of the workforce was female, including 46% in the management ranks and 23% in the executive offices. Parents can tailor business hours to fit their family needs. In fact, two thirds of the staff used flexible work arrangements in 2004. One example: Senior client-service associate Jackie Benning often shifts a few work hours to weekends in order to be available for her two kids' afterschool activities.

To help workers stay fit despite their busy schedules, Principal has eight wellness centers (in Connecticut, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and Washington state), where employees can schedule stress-busting yoga, Pilates and tae kwon do classes during lunchtime or after business hours. The financial institution also pays at least 50% of the enrollment fee when employees join YMCAs near its offices in four states to start exercise plans.

WHAT'S COOL: Principal launched a new Volunteer Time Off program last year that lets employees contribute eight companypaid hours each year to nonprofit organizations-or even to their children's schools. Employees responded by using 20,000 hours of volunteer time off. The eight hours of VTO are in addition to the four hours all employees are given to participate in United Way Day of Caring events.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: J. BARRY GRISWELL

SENIOR VR HUMAN RESOURCES: JIM DEVRIES

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 800-986-3343

www.principal.com

New moms can return to work part-time for up to 12 weeks, with full time benefits, after exhausting their FMLA.

THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY * Cincinnati, OH Leading manufacturer of household products

Taking a year off from work to care for a new baby isn't just a dream for mothers at Procter & Gamble. The household-products maker offers new moms and dads, including adoptive parents, 52 weeks of job-guaranteed leave40 weeks beyond the legislated 12. Moms can take two weeks of their paid leave before the due date and six weeks after.

To help parents who work the night shift on production lines, P&G opened its first 24/7 on-site child development center at its plant in Albany, GA, last year and is using the center as a three-year global test. If it's successful, the model will be exported to other sites around the world.

WHAT'S COOL: For almost two decades, about 40% of P&G's new hires at the management level each year have been femalea number that speaks to the company's long-standing commitment to the hiring, retention and advancement of women. And in the last three years, the company has seen the strongest results in the advancement of women in positions with profit-and-loss responsibility: There has been a 54% increase in the number of women at the vice president/general manager level.

CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENTAND CEO: ALAN G. LAFLEY

GLOBAL HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER: RICHARD ANTOINE

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 513-983-1100

www.pg.com

P&G employees on the road get a business travel child care reimbursement of up to $500 a year.

All 2,600 employees at Providence Alaska Medical Center have direct access to, and can call to ask any question of, the hospital's CEO via telephone at Al's Action Line.

PROVIDENCE ALASKA MEDICAL CENTER * Anchorage, AK Operator of hospitals and health-care facilities in Alaska

Providence Alaska Medical Center debuts on the Working Mother 100 Best with a mix of mom-friendly benefits. An on-site child-care center looks after 161 kids and offers before- and afterschool, summer and holiday care, as well as backup care for work-related emergencies. And for the nearly 400 kids on the facility's waiting list, the on-site center's staff goes above and beyond to assist parents in finding alternatives, even accompanying them on visits to evaluate other care sites. For breastfeeding moms whose jobs as nurses prevent them from taking lengthy breaks, there are private lactation areas near workstations throughout the hospital that are equipped with a rocking chair, an electric pump, a refrigerator and a sink.

Last year, the medical center formed the Women's Mentoring Network (WMN), which gives female staffers a monthly forum for work/life discussions and a vehicle for making policy recommendations.

SIGNATURE BENEFIT: Thanks to Providence Alaska's Wellness Program, employees have access to everything from a fitness center, nutritional counseling and in-house massage to regular health screenings, immunizations and ergonomie evaluations.

VP AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE: AL PARRISH

CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER: RUSSELLGRANGE

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 907-261-5623

www.providence.org

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PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL * Newark, NJ * Financial services organization

The more than 22,000 U.S.-based employees of Prudential Financial know they'll be heard when they speak up about their most pressing family needs. A 2004 work/life survey, which included a separate questionnaire on benefits preferences, led to the increase of affiliated child-care centers last year to a whopping 4,000 from 200 nationwide. More child-care centers means that most employees have access to closer facilities.

The company also increased the options parents can tap to access at-home backup care for those times when a child is sick or when regular care falls through;

In addition, the survey showed that 38% of Prudential workers are either caring for elderly relatives or expect to do so soon. To assist them, the financial services organization made available at-home adult care (in either the staffer's or the loved one's home), as well as drop-off adult care for just $4 an hour. An Adult Care Forum at company headquarters gave employees the opportunity to speak to experts on aging, collect resource materials and network.

WHAT'S COOL: Prudential provides free on-site health screenings for bone density, cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes at major locations because executives believe that ensuring the health and wellbeing of the company's employees should be a top priority.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: ARTHUR F. RYAN

SENIOR VP, CORPORATE HUMAN RESOURCES: SHARON TAYLOR

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 973-802-3295

www.prudential.com

As part of its commitment to all kinds of families, Prudential gives $1000 to ployees who become foster parents.

REPUBLIC BANCORP, INC. * Owosso, MI* Bank holding company

Flexibility is the gold standard at Republic Bancorp, where 75% of employees are women and nearly half are parents. The bank's Family Always Comes First policy generously lets employees create their own schedules on a daily basis. Republic's parental leave gives new moms and dads the option of taking time off either one 12-week stretch or in increments that meet their individual needs. Employees returning to work can choose to create a new full-time flex arrangement or cut back to part-time.

Republic's impressive benefits package includes the option to buy up to ten extra vacation days a year, as well as perks such as a birthday day off and a bonus of a day's pay on an employee's wedding day.

WHAT'S NEW: In 2004, Republic launched a program that monitors staffers' health and fitness goals and awards points to those who complete activities such as exercising for 30 minutes three days a week, quitting smoking or lowering cholesterol. At the end of the year, the three top pointearners receive a cash prize. So far, the employees in the program have shed a collective 711 pounds.

PRESIDENT AND CEO: DANA CLUCKEY

EXECUTIVE VR CORPORATE HUMAN RESOURCES: DEBRA HANSES

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 989-725-2166

www.republicbancorp.com

Republic Bancorp employees are treated to a free oil-site massage twice a year.

SC Johnson employees can pick up bread and milk at a company convenience cooler before heading home.

TOP 10

S. C. JOHNSON & SON, INC. * Racine, WI

Manufacturer of consumer products

The exceptional number of familyfriendly programs employees can choose from at SC Johnson rivals the number of household products the company makes. Its flextime, telecommuting, job-sharing, part-time options and extended winter-holiday break put parents at home when it matters most.

The firm also makes sure all members of its own family have a voice. Its Mentoring Up program pairs women, gays and lesbians, people of color and people with disabilities with corporate officers. But this program puts a twist on traditional mentoring by having employees show top leaders different perspectives on the company, including the challenges working moms and other employees face in succeeding at work or climbing the corporate ladder while trying to balance work and family.

SIGNATURE BENEFIT: The Child-care Learning Center at headquarters offers fulltime, part-time and before- and afterschool care for more than 350 kids. In 2003, the company completed a $4.5 million expansion that includes a gym, an aquatic center and the Kiddie Corral, which offers weekend care so that parents can take yoga classes.

CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO: H. FISK JOHNSON, PHD

DIRECTOR OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS: ANDREA M. KONZ, PhD

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 262-260-2000

www.scjohnson.com

ST. MARY'S MEDICAL CENTER * Huntington, WV

Medical center and teaching facility

The round-the-clock nature of medical care doesn't easily lend itself to balancing work and family, but St. Mary's Medical Center goes above and beyond to accommodate its working parents. Perks include a work/life counselor who is on call 24/7 and a cafeteria that has extended hours and offers take-home meals and groceries. The medical center offers six weeks of paid adoption leave to the primary caregiver and $2,500 for expenses, up from $2,000 last year. It also offers an on-site child-care center for kids ages 3 months to 5 years, and a church next door looks after employees' children when they're not in school. Free tutoring and computer access are included.

Women lead the corporate culture at St. Mary's, representing 87% of all employees and occupying five of the 11 spots on the medical center's board of directors. The vice presidents of patient-care services, human resources and medical affairs are all mothers, and women make up 71 % of employees with children under 12.

SIGNATURE BENEFIT: The best parental benefit may be the firm's alternative work arrangements, which give employees the option of working three 12-hour days, four ten-hour days, alternate seven-day weeks, and even school hours only with no summers-called Mommy Hours.

PRESIDENT AND CEO: MICHAEL Q. SELLARDS

VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES: SUSAN BETH McKENZIE

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 304-526-1044

www.st-marys.org

Medical and dental insurance is free for full-time employees and their families. The cost of prescription drugs is sharply reduced.

TOP 10

SCHERING-PLOUGH * Keniiworth, NJ

Pharmaceuticals developer and manufacturer

You don't need to work full-time at Schering-Plough to enjoy the vast array of work/life benefits the pharmaceuticals company provides its 13,000-plus employees. For example, a job-sharing program for sales representatives offers full benefits for a part-time schedule. Flextime and telecommuting are available to almost all workers.

The company also looks after employee children, providing two child-care centers that accommodate about 190 kids and provide backup, holiday and before- and after-school care. Employees without access to those centers receive discounts at two national child-care providers. In addition, the firm offers onsite seminars on everything from Internet safety for kids to raising children with high self-esteem to overcoming burnout and managing change.

WHAT'S NEW: Schering-Plough completely modernized the child-care center near its New Jersey headquarters in 2004. Pre-schoolers and kindergartners can play and learn on new computers, take a book to a cozy reading corner or clamber on the new playground equipment.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: FRED HASSAN

MANAGER, GLOBAL HR STRATEGY AND COMMUNICATIONS: DANA BICSKO

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 888-662-1212

www.schering-plough.com

Schering-Plough offers employees on-site mammograms and other medical screenings.

Last year, 22% of Scripps employees received tuition reimbursement for continuing education. The health system spent $607,000 in 2004 for this benefit.

SCRIPPS HEALTH * San Diego, CA * Southern California health-care provider operating five hospitals, 11 clinics and other medical sites throughout the county

Work/life benefits at Scripps Health are designed around each stage of life: Tuition reimbursements of up to $1,000 a year help staffers starting out in their careers. Employees with growing families have access to two company-sponsored child-care centers and receive discounts of 10% to 15% at other centers. New moms get six weeks of fully paid leave and an additional ten weeks at partial pay, while both fathers and mothers can take an extra four weeks of job-guaranteed leave. And workers with more than 20 years of service who contribute 3% of their salary to the company retirement plan receive a 6% company match.

There's no such thing as a rigid work schedule at Scripps, evidenced by the 21 % of employees who work under alternative arrangements such as flextime and compressed workweeks. Workers who need more than six weeks off for personal reasons can opt to resign and be reinstated within the year with full benefits.

WHAT'S COOL: Among the services that make staffers' lives easier are a 30% discount on public transportation, discounts to Sea World and other attractions and concierge dry cleaning and car care.

PRESIDENT AND CEO: CHRIS VAN GORDER

SENIOR VP, HUMAN RESOURCES: VICTOR BUZACHERO

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 858-678-6069

www.scripps.org

SHAWNEE MISSION MEDICAL CENTER

Shawnee Mission, KS * 383-bed community hospital with outpatient facilities

Shawnee Mission's enviable alternative work arrangements and flexible child-care options are two big reasons the hospital makes its debut on our list this year. Most of SMMC's nurses rely on flexible hours, sharing or switching shifts and working extended days to get a shorter week. Some employees in the medical records and transcription offices telecommute from time to time.

The Shared Leave Bank allows employees to donate days off to one another. The on-site child-care center serves kids ages 6 weeks to 12 years, five days a week. Backup care, which is offered to parents called in to work on short notice or who have to stay late, was provided to every one of the 476 kids enrolled in the child-care center last year. At SMMC, 83% of employees are female, as are an impressive 70% of managers. Some top women include Senior Vice President and COO Robin Harrold, Chief Nursing Officer Sheri Hawkins, and Executive Director of Marketing, Communications and Planning Ginger Bliss.

WHAT'S COOL: The medical center really fosters a family-friendly environment. Staffers' children parade through its halls all year long, and SMMC sponsors everything from Strawberry and Autumn Festivals and Family Fun Fests to spaghetti dinners.

PRESlDENTAND CEO: SAMUEL H. TURNER, SR.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES: BRAD HOFFMAN

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 913-676-2020

www.shawneemission.org

Part time staffers earn full benefits like health insurance if they work at Shawnee Mission at least 16 hours per week.

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED * Dallas, TX Global leader in the design and production of computer chips and related technologies

Flexibility is the No. 1 reason many of the more than 18,000 employees at Texas Instruments say their company rocks. For one thing, most salaried Tl staffers can design the work schedule that best suits their personal needs, even changing their hours on a daily basis if necessary. Over half of all employees work on a flex schedule, and 50% opt to work at home or telecommute. The majority of workers have at-home broadband or dial-up access to Tl's computer network, making it convenient to conduct business from their home computers or from other locations.

Then there are the fabulous family-friendly perks. Parents can take advantage of discounts at child-care centers offering before- and afterschool care, as well as three on-site camps (two that were set up in 2004 and a third one new this year) that operate during the summer as well as spring break-which is a boon for parents who might otherwise have to take time off.

WHAT'S COOL: To help commuters, the company provides free transit passes for all of its 11,000 Dallas-area employees, as well as daily 24-hour shuttle service to and from local rail stations.

PRESlDENTAND CEO: RICHARD K. TEMPLETON

VP, WORKFORCE, DIVERSITY AND WORKLIFE STRATEGIES: TEGWIN PULLEY

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 214-480-2045

www.ti.com

Employees and their families can join, sports leagues at TFs TexitlS Activity Centers.

Through employee volunteer programs and events, Timberland workers racked up 104,000 hours of community service in 2004.

THE TIMBERLAND COMPANY * Stratham, NH Designer and retailer of premium-quality footwear, apparel and accessories for consumers

Parent-friendly programs take on a whole new meaning when you work at a company that puts the needs of its employees and their families first. For instance, Timberland's adoption assistance policy provides a generous $10,000 in aid to parents, along with two weeks of paid leave. And parents with kids transitioning into school can take advantage of the Timberland Children's Center, which offers a program for kindergartners. The center also extends 10% discounts to siblings of enrolled kids. As for flexibility, the retailer's 2,716 employees can use compressed workweeks, job-sharing and flextime.

In 2004, Timberland put a special focus on women in leadership, hosting speaker panels and networking events as part of its Women's Network-which provides a forum to address issues such as struggling with job responsibilities and managing full-time work and motherhood. The initiative has proved popular among the many women in the Timberland community. Looking ahead, company executives are aiming for a manager ratio of 50-50 along gender lines.

WHAT'S COOL: Timberland offers employees paid six-month service sabbaticals to work at a nonprofit of their choice.

PRESIDENT AND CEO: JEFFREY SWARTZ

SENIOR VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES: BRUCE JOHNSON

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 603-773-1100

www.timberland.com

TRIHEALTH * Cincinnati, OH * Health-care organization composed of Bethesda and Good Samaritan hospitals

TriHealth's family benefits read like a working mom's wish list: There's 24/7 sick-child care, which features a parent helper who comes into a staffer's home to take care of an ill child, prepare her meals and clean up after her. Summer and holiday camps offer activities such as soccer, basketball and yoga on-site at the TriHealth Fitness and Health Pavilion. Flex choices include job-share and part-time options, with full benefits kicking in at just 16 work hours a week.

The firm believes its business depends on employees who are healthy in body, mind and spirit.

Therefore, it offers health and wellness programs including health screenings, smoking-cessation support and on-site Pilates and nutrition classes.

WHAT'S COOL: Does anyone need a personal assistant more than a working mom? TriHealth offers employees the services of a "personal parent assistant" who can help plan vacations or parties, order dinner or score movie tickets. And a "personal parent coach" helps moms via phone and the Internet with everything from getting a newborn to sleep to communicating with teens.

PRESlDENTAND CEO: JOHN PROUT

VPOF HUMAN RESOURCES: WALTER McLARTY

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 513-569-6103

www.trihealth.com

TriHealth's health/wellness options include baby-massage classes and water aerobics for new or soon-to-be moms.

TURNER BROADCASTING SYSTEM, INC. * Atlanta, GA TV broadcasting, media, news and entertainment corporation

At Turner Broadcasting, where the ages of nearly 60% of the workforce fall between 18 and 38, supporting the careers and families of its 11,000 employees is at the core of the company's work/life mission. TBS provides a generous two months of fully paid maternity leave, and moms encountering any postbaby complications receive additional short-term disability leave with pay. Infertility treatments, including up to three rounds of in-vitro fertilization and artificial insemination, are covered by insurance.

Since 36% of executives and nearly 45% of managers are women, the company considers women's advancement a top priority. In 2004, a leadership component was added to the Turner Executive Incentive Plan to measure the diversity efforts of its VPs and other top executives. Earlier this year, the company was finalizing plans to charter a corporate affinity group, Turner Women Today, to further formalize advancement possibilities for women.

SIGNATURE BENEFITS: The TV company supports employees repeatedly exposed to news from hot spots such as the war in Iraq and the South Asian tsunami, offering comprehensive mental health care.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: PHILIP I. KENT

EXECUTIVEVP, HUMAN RESOURCES AND CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS: KELLY REGAL

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 404-827-2006

www.turner.com

Responding to the growing need for elder eyre services, TBS introduced long-term care insurance as a new voluntary benefit for employees in 2004.

To help employees better balance personal and professional lives, last year UBS spent $5 million to give them remote access and $2.3 million to support BlackBerry users.

UBS * New York, NY

Global financial services firm that offers wealth and asset management and investment banking

Investing in work/life programs for employees with families isn't just company policy at UBS. Executives of the financial services firm put their money where their mouth is. For example, there's a gamut of flexible work options that make UBS an attractive choice for women, including compressed workweeks, telecommuting and job-sharing, which are available to all employees. In 2004, flextime was used by more than 70% of staffers. The company's women's task force, known as All Bar None, worked to identify work/life challenges. Management-led initiatives resulted in several improvements, including expanded access to 12 weeks of paid maternity leave, a week of paid paternity leave and adoption assistance of $5,000. Parents can also now take a paid sick day to stay home with any ailing family member.

WHAT'S NEW: At a conference held by the women's task force, working parents decided that they had their own special work/life needs. So they spun off a new Working Parents Network. Since that time, the group has hosted a wide array of panel discussions on issues that affect the balance of work and family and has sponsored workshops on college preparation and estate planning.

GROUP CEO: PETER A. WUFFLl

GLOBAL HEAD OF DIVERSITY: MONA LAU

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 212-713-2000

www.ubs.com

UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD * Omaha, NE

Rail, truck and barge transportation provider

A company that has some 53,000 employees nationwide could easily miss the little details that make a big difference in a worker's life. But Union Pacific keeps a meticulous eye on benefits and perks that help its employees stay happy and healthy. For example, the new corporate headquarters is loaded with timesavers such as a hair salon, medical clinic, pharmacy and credit union. A 24-hour gym and a cafeteria touting healthy fare promote fitness and good nutrition, and the newly expanded HealthTrack program provides employees with customized diet and exercise plans. A 20,000-square-foot child-care center serves about 200 kids, up from 79 in 2004.

WHAT'S COOL: Although women working on the railroad are still an exception-just 6% of the UP workforce is female-they hold 10% of. executive jobs and make up 16% of top earners. Among them is Julie Krehbiel, who's in a new VP post that oversees the shipment of finished U.S. automobiles. A women's networking group hopes to build momentum by bringing educational and supportive guidance to women in the field via videotapes and teleconferences.

CHAIRMAN AND CEO: RICHARD K. DAVIDSON

SENIOR VP, HUMAN RESOURCES: BARBARA W. SCHAEFER

EMPLOYEE CONTACT: 877-275-8747

www.up.com

To encourage a fit and healthy lifestyle, Union Pacific provides a free pedometer to any employee who requests one.

USAA * San Antonio, TX * Diversified financial services company

Just imagine being able to take care of banking needs, sit in on a free financial planning seminar, get a health screening for obesity or high blood pressure and pick up a meal to take home-all without leaving the office. Those are just some of the many perks enjoyed by USAA employees, not only in the San Antonio headquarters but at all regional offices, too.

Other work/life benefits include flexible work arrangements, which were used by nearly 8,000 of the more than 21,000 employees last year. Nontraditional hours, telecommuting and part-time work are available to some employees. Some staffers can even adjust their schedules weekly, provided they meet the company's business goals. USAA pays a 30% premium for part- and full-time nonexecutive managers whose jobs require them to work nonstandard hours. Working moms also get a helping hand from USAA's six company-sponsored childcare centers across the country that serve nearly 800 kids. The centers offer full-time, part-time, backup, holiday and summer care.