Best Companies for Working Mothers

People are always asking me if there is a complete list of "mom-friendly" companies. While there is no one comprehensive list, you can piece together some good information about quality employers through a variety of publications.

I caution you to interpret these lists with a healthy dose of skepticism (click here to read a blog article titled, How Solid is Working Mother's Seal of Approval?). Not every company selected for these lists are uniformly wonderful. Some have great mentoring programs for women (while skimping on flexible work options), some offer on-site daycare (but only at their headquarters locations) and others offer nice extras like concierge services (but still expect their employees to travel at a moments notice).

Even if these lists aren't perfect, they do give you a glimpse into the benefits of working for a variety of firms. Beyond Working Mother's list, here are some other resources to consult:

100 Best Companies to Work for in America: Fortune offers different lists of the most admired companies to work for.

50 Best Companies for Latinas to Work for in the U.S.: Special report from Latina Style identifies companies with special programs and benefits for Hispanic working women.

Forbes - The 200 Best Small Companies: This list features growing small companies.

Employee Ownership 100: By definition, companies that are majority owned by employees are employee-friendly. Check out the list provided by the National Center for Employee Ownership of the largest U. S. companies with over 50% owned by a broad employee ownership plan such as an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) or a stock purchase plan.

In addition to these national lists, local publications (such as The Washingtonian for the Washington D.C. area or Carolina Parenting for Charlotte, NC) periodically run articles about their top picks for family-friendly companies in specific geographic areas. If you're unsure what is available in your local area, just try inputting "family-friendly companies" and the name of your city, into one of the major search engines.