26th September 2007

What I’d really like to see on the Working Mother 100 Best Companies List

posted in Work-Life Balance, Career Advancement, Working Moms, Mom Friendly Companies, Blogging Rants, Flexible Work Arrangements |

workingmom.jpgI can’t stay away from the blog for long. Not when Working Mother magazine comes out with their 100 Best Companies List and I miss posting about it by one day.  I HAVE to make my second (or is it third?) re-entry during a week when something actually newsworthy comes out about us working moms. (Isn’t that my thang?)

So here’s the scoop.  Devra pointed out that the list is stretching the notion of third-party credibility a little too far.  Susan doesn’t think that the “best” will get better without some pushing from the government.  Me? I know deep down that these lists are just a massive PR effort put forth by some low-level hack right out of college.  No, sorry.  Three years out of college. 

My major dilemma with such lists is why do people take them so seriously?  The criteria probably isn’t too rigid (I wish we could see the whole form on their website somewhere without me having to register).  And I’m actually thankful that companies on this list probably are doing more than most companies at least by the fact that they have the goal to be on this list in the first place.  There are worse things a company could pay a PR firm to do with its time do with its time.

That being said, I do see some room for improvement.  Some questions I’d love to add to the survey (of which I have never seen):

  • How often does your boss roll his/ her eyes when you ask to leave 10 minutes early to pick your kid up from school?
  • How often do you let your subordinates “work from home” on last minute notice?
  • How many workers in the office have “I love mom” posters hanging on the wall?
  • What is the ratio of women who are ”skinny bitches” vs. “trying to lose the baby weight”?
  • What is the percentage of men who know not to ask a woman if she’s pregnant 10 weeks post-partum? (this one assumes a long, paid, restful maternity leave. Ha!)
  • Do you have someone on staff to ensure that the snack machine doesn’t have any food with more than 5g of fat in it?

Who’s welcoming me back to the blogosphere?  Can I get a woo-woo?

Until I feel like blogging again…

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There are currently 12 responses to “What I’d really like to see on the Working Mother 100 Best Companies List”

Make yourself heard.

  1. 1 On September 26th, 2007, Devra Renner said:

    woo-woo to you. Welcome back!
    So the new questions. Did you want to ask the actual employees or the “company representatives”? Because WMM states in their methodology, they base their rankings on among other things, but also include “interviews with company representatives” They do not say “employees” specifically. Sure some of them may actually be employed by them, but most likely in the PR not HR departments.

    I could be wrong. I will admit it if I am. But I don’t think I am too far off the mark.

  2. 2 On September 27th, 2007, Becky said:

    Regarding skinny vs. fat? Working Mother teamed up with Kraft to “take over the kitchen for a day” at SC Johnson with diet food for employees (ie, working mothers). Both companies are on the “best 100″ list, and both are some of the magazine’s biggest advertisers. They promoted it as “healthy eating,” but seems like, oh, a marketing ploy to sell diet products to employees and maybe get a return on all those advertising dollars spent.

  3. 3 On September 27th, 2007, PunditMom said:

    Woo-Woo here too! Those are EXCELLENT questions and ones I’m sure that Working Mother magazine will be asking it’s top 100 real soon — NOT!

  4. 4 On September 27th, 2007, cordelia525 said:

    hey! welcome back.

    *blocks ears* LALALALA I can’t hear you!!! I say that cause I’m interviewing with a company on The List at noon today and I have this little fantasy that the company is some sort of bastion of enlightenment.

  5. 5 On September 27th, 2007, Marijean said:

    Woo hoo and don’t go away! We’ll miss you.

    And you’re right on with the list. Maybe mombloggers
    should establish their own list, with our own
    list of criteria. Sounds like you’ve got a good
    start!

  6. 6 On September 27th, 2007, Shelli said:

    holla!

    lol. We miss you.

    I think of about ten more “real” questions I want to add to your list, such as “what is their policy on flip flops in the workplace?”

    Now that shoots to the heart of the business, dontcha think?

  7. 7 On September 27th, 2007, Jamie said:

    Welcome back! Skinny bitches vs. trying to lose the baby weight….ha ha! ;)

    On a serious note, one thing that I struggle with is “do I take a sick day when I stay home with a sick child, or do I work from home?”

    Usually it depends on what I have on my plate for the day. Sigh…

  8. 8 On September 27th, 2007, April said:

    Welcome back! And I like Jamie’s comment of do you take a sick day when your kids is sick, or do you work from home. Add in there, or are you forced to take a vacation day because you exhausted your sick leave while on maternity leave?

    How about “how many people in your organization have you heard comment on the ‘racket that is motherhood’ for getting ‘extra’ time off?”

    Signed the woman who is ending this fiscal year severely under chargeable hours goals.

  9. 9 On September 27th, 2007, Susan said:

    I knew you couldn’t stay away for long. C’mon, you know you wanna blog. Just give in.

    Susan at Working Moms Against Guilt
    http://www.workingmomsagainstguilt.com

  10. 10 On September 28th, 2007, Emily said:

    Woo hoo! That’s all I have to say. Thanks for a good laugh. I’m going to have to link to this blog entry and send it to my friends.

  11. 11 On September 29th, 2007, Alex Elliot said:

    I particularly liked point 4!

  12. 12 On September 30th, 2007, Nicole said:

    Here’s my late woohoo! And I do not have good feelings about those lists, however they probably aren’t the worst 100 either.
    It’s funny as my company has some good policies - telecomuting on a small scale, sick days can be taken if any dependent is sick,
    not just you and fertility treatments are covered as well as some adoption costs. However, the general sense I get
    from the top is they are doing the minimum they can and still say they are “average” for benefits, there is no real sense of
    support unless you have a supportive boss, or even better a boss who’s spouse also works and they have small kids.
    Welcome back! And sorry for bogarting your comments :)

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