Children's Memorial Hospital named 100 Best by Working Mother magazine

September 26, 2007 - Working Mother magazine today named Children's Memorial Hospital a 2007 Working Mother Best Company for Working Mothers. The magazine recognized the hospital's company wide benefits and programs to ensure the retention and advancement of working mothers.

"Every year our winning companies raise the bar for what it means to be an employer of choice for working families," said Carol Evans, CEO and president, Working Mother Media. "Children's Memorial Hospital not only offers essential benefits like flextime and telecommuting; it goes above and beyond with a range of best practices and policies to ease the difficulties for working parents and their families. The hospital's supportive culture makes a huge difference to employees who want to be great moms and great workers."

This is the third consecutive year that Children's Memorial has been named one of the magazine's top 100 employers in the nation. With an approximately 80 percent female workforce, Children's Memorial has long recognized the needs of working moms through flexible scheduling, part-time hours, an innovative child and elder care program, as well as working from home and telecommuting for appropriate positions. Women outnumber men in the executive ranks, too.

Children's Memorial Hospital was one of eight companies in Illinois to be included. Winners were selected based on an extensive application of 575 questions. The application included detailed questions about workforce, compensation, child-care and flexibility programs, leave policies and more. It also checked the usage, availability and tracking of programs, as well as the accountability of managers who oversee them. Seven areas were measured and scored: workforce profile, compensation, child care, flexibility, time off and leaves, family-friendly programs, and company culture. For this year's 100 best, particular weight was given to flexibility and family-friendly policies.

“Employees can take advantage of a generous Plan B for those times when regular child care falls through,” according to the magazine. “What do they get? An impressive 200 hours per child of free backup care, either at home or in a center. Workers also receive discounts at two national chains for day-to-day child care.”

Working Mother also cited the hospital's generous 12 weeks of maternity leave, with six partially paid. “After working two years, every salaried employee earns 34 days of paid time off that can be used for any reason—and many opt to tap those banked weeks for parental leave. The hospital also gives loyal workers mini sabbaticals on key anniversaries. After ten years on the job, and every five years after that, one additional week of hours is deposited into employees' paid time off banks.”

Through its efforts to be a “best of the best” employer, Children's Memorial also ranked ninth out of “The Top 25 Best Places to Work” in the most recent survey by Chicago magazine. The hospital also earned a Best Practice Award from the American Society for Health Care Human Resource Administration (ASHHRA).

The largest pediatric hospital in Illinois, Children's Memorial Hospital provides specialists in every known pediatric specialty. As the pediatric educational facility for Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, these physicians saw more than 102,000 children last year. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks Children's Memorial as the top pediatric hospital in the state. The American Nurses Association also recognized Children's Memorial as the first hospital in the state — and the first pediatric hospital in the nation — to receive its prestigious Nursing Excellence Magnet Award.

Founded in 1979, Working Mother magazine reaches nearly 3 million readers and is the only national magazine for career mothers. Its 22-year signature initiative, Working Mother 100 Best Companies, is the most important benchmark for work/life practices in corporate America.

For more information on the 2007 Working Mother 100 Best Companies and for a complete list of winners, visit http://www.workingmother.com .