Working Mother magazine named the best U.S. Companies for working mothers.   Despite the economic climate, some companies have decided to continue to support family-friendly programs and in fact, some companies have allocated more money than previous years to support their family- friendly programs. Such a gesture makes quite a statement on those working moms, seeking employment.

Some of companies named as the top supporters of family-friendly programs are Deloitte LLP and Ernst & Young of New York,  IBM of Armonk, NY, PricewaterhouseCoopers of New York and Abbott Laboratories of Illinois. The companies, mentioned previously, as well as the others featured as the top 100 companies, share benefits such as the option to telecommute (100 percent), job sharing and backup childcare options (and we all know that sometimes your primary child care option fails.)

Additionally, leaves of absence policies were high on the list of priorities for the top named companies.  Several companies provide paid maternity and paternity programs as well as flexible return-to-work policies,  allowing parents to gradually re-enter the workplace.  Some companies provide a greater benefit to the Federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), such as a paid maternity leave benefit.

Small businesses should consider incorporating family-friendly programs into their employee benefit programs and policies.  Family-friendly programs may assist employers with retaining talented employees in the long-run.  The most difficult and stressful time for a new parent can be re-adjusting to work life while handling parental responsibilities at home.  Before my son’s birth, my mother convinced me that my baby would sleep through the night at the age of 3 months.  Needless to say my little night owl didn’t start sleeping through the night until he was 1!  Can you imagine what a walking zombie I was, strolling or dragging myself into the office with only 3 hours of sleep! I would have probably been more productive, during those early years, if I had more flexibility in my work schedule.