The Best Companies for a Working Mom

Are a mother who has no choice but to work? Do you need to work for a company that understands the needs of a mother, from pediatrician appointments to pumping at work? Working Mother Magazine of New York has published a list of the top 100 companies for working mothers.

These companies have shown great innovation when it comes to supporting their working mothers. Mothers are given more time off and are allowed more choices in how they do their work. For example, PriceWaterhouseCoopers gives their mothers up to five years off with a “Full Circle” program. Pataonia works with their new mothers’ schedules – allowing flexibility in their schedule.

The top ten firms listed are:

• Abbott Labs in Abbott Park, IL
• Bon Secours Richmond Health System in Virginia
• Ernst & Young in New York
• HSBC in Prospect Heights, IL
• IBM Corp in Armonk, NY
• JPMorgan in NY
• Patagonia, Inc. in Venture CA
• PriceWaterhouseCoopers in NY
• Principal Financial Group in Des Moines, IO
• SC Johnson & Son Jobs in Racine WI

There were 350 companies that applied, which is a good sign for today’s working mother. Many had flexible working schedules, technology to allow work from home, and private areas to pump breast milk for the nursing mom.

Kraft Foods will allow their mother’s three months after their maternity leave to transition into the workplace again. Another innovative idea? Sharing jobs between two workers – something that could be a godsend to many.