Working mothers know all to well the “juggle struggle” of trying to balance work demands with family priorities—and the myriad pressures experienced from trying to do a good job at work and at home. Thankfully, many businesses today are on board with flexible schedules and other workplace adaptions that help keep women thriving in the workforce. Each year, Working Mother Magazine selects 100 companies across the country that excel in this arena, and this year, three Westchester firms made the list:
IBM, Armonk
IBM ranks among the top 10 companies on Working Mother’s list and has been included in the feature every year since the initiative began in 1986. The magazine cites IBM’s 20+ business resource groups devoted to women, including the Super Women Group (with more than 20,000 members) who connect via virtual chats, networking breakfasts, mentoring sessions, and even yoga, all to help intensify the bond between female employees at all levels. IBM also offers family-friendly perks like child-care discounts, college coaching, test prep services, and lactation rooms.
March of Dimes Foundation, White Plains
This White Plains-based national nonprofit organization landed on Working Mother’s list for several reasons: its strong representation of females among the top ranks (82 percent of senior managers are women); generous flexibility with work hours (mothers can opt to flex, compress, or reduce their hours); perks like adoption or surrogacy assistance; and its annual Working Mother of the Year honor, bestowed upon one employee each year, who receives $500, a trophy, and “in-house tributes.”
MasterCard, Purchase
MasterCard’s focus on helping moms and families stay healthy helped the company earn its spot on this year’s list. The company offers employees a telemedicine service, where they can video conference with a doctor at any time of day; an infant transition program which allows parents a total of 30 days of backup care in their child’s first year; and even an onsite wellness clinic at its headquarters in Purchase.
For Westchester moms who commute into Manhattan, there is additional good news: 27 New York City-based firms—mostly large companies, heavy on the finance and insurance sectors—made this year’s list. They are:
Accenture, American Express, AOL, Avon, Barclays, Bristol-Myers Squibb, CA Technologies, Citi, Colgate-Palmolive, Credit Suisse, Deloitte, EY, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, L’Oreal USA, McKinsey & Co, Met Life, Morgan Stanley, New York Life, Ogilvy & Mather, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, PwC, TIAA-CREF, UBS, Verizon, Viacom
