Comments on: 100 best companies for working mothers … are they really the best?

By: mary

mary — Thu, 01 May 2008 02:34:16 +0000

I worked for a company that has been listed as one of the top “100 best companies for mothers” until my employment was suddently terminated after 32 years because my manager assumed that I would be less committed to my job after I stupidly informed her that my husband has severe Alzheimers. After being a loyal and dedicated employee for 32 years with nothing but excellent performance appraisals, I now find myself without a job, without a severance package and without medical insurance for myself and my husband.

By: maggie

maggie — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 14:27:05 +0000

Amazing post - thank you.

I’ve never worked for a company like any of those in that list…I’ve always worked for small arts non-profits. And I have to say that my current employer was and has been a terrific place to have been at when I conceived, gestated, birthed and am raising my almost 4 year old. I’d never have been able to do the things that I can and did do at a “corporation”.

By: hafidha sofia

hafidha sofia — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 07:29:40 +0000

Thank you for doing the legwork on this - I’m sure it took a considerable amount of time!

By: Mim

Mim — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 22:22:08 +0000

I read this post with great interest, and was duly shocked at the blatant disregard for ethical journalism shown by Working Mother, then i went and looked at the list itself, and I’m still thinking a lot of those comoanies sound pretty good. Yes, I do think actual working mothers should be surveyed, and the company supplying its own information is not ideal, but how can you be wholly negative about something like (to pick a quote at random) this:

“About 60% of its staffers flex their hours or telecommute, and they only need to work an hour a week to earn health-care benefits. In response to recent staff surveys, the firm reduced overtime work, shortened business trips and added more opportunities for employees to adjust their daily schedules.”

You talk about lack of lactation rooms and on-site daycare, but you neglect to mention telecommunting and flex-time as major ways a working mother can balance work and childcare. If flextime and telecommuting are encouraged, it seems to me it doesn’t matter so much that there be 50 lactation rooms instead of 4.

By: Paul Shafer

Paul Shafer — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 15:24:23 +0000

Someone had to write something like this, though I am glad it was you because you articulated several key points effectively.

Of the dozen or so companies I have worked for since getting an MBA at Harvard, 2 had any appreciation or expectation of basic honesty and decency. 1 of those had a European parent, worth noting because people matter much more in European operations than in American ones.

Of the other 10, most are household names and 2 have been in various “100 Best Places to Work in America” lists. That designation means only that those companies, in competing for skilled labor, pay money to promote their images because at least the younger, more naive labor will be swayed by it. It worked on me, when I was younger. At this stage I’ve learned that those companies are cesspools like the others, but with better packaging and promotion.

So there are 2 things left for Americans who are good workers and want a decent work environment to do. 1 is to luck into, or use your contacts to get into, those few operations that place some value on people. Do your own research on that and pay no attention to published surveys or rankings, which are worthless, paid for propaganda. The other is to encourage your children to get into fields in which they will be independently licensed and need not rely on a single employer for their livelihood.