10 Companies Whose Policies Actively Support Working Parents

Parenting and work don't always feel compatible—what with kids' sick days, last-minute meetings that clash with day-care pickups, and the whole pumping-at-the-office thing—yet working outside the home continues to be a necessity for many parents, even amid the massive shift to remote operations triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The good news? An increasing number of companies (including many that are household names) have begun offering far more accommodating policies designed to lure (and retain) parents, including working mothers and single parents.

A 2020 survey conducted by Great Places to Work, for instance, identified 100 companies that meaningfully support working parents through policies and actions including such things as parental leave, adoption, childcare benefits, and dependent healthcare benefits.

The survey was based on a confidential answers provided by more than 4.8 million U.S. workers, with the final ranking of companies determined in large part by what parents say about their experiences at work in general. The survey responses were also analyzed to assess how parents' experiences compared to those of non-parents in terms of how employees felt they're treated at work. 

• Related: How the Pandemic Has Changed The Game For Working Moms—And What Comes Next

Flexjobs, the job search platform, took the Great Places to Work survey a step further and used it to identify companies that, in addition to supportive benefits and polices, also offer some type of flexible schedule or remote work option that would be particularly helpful to parents.

"Considering the effects the pandemic has had on working parents and given the tight competition for talent, employers leading with work flexibility and an empathetic company culture that values working parents will be key," Brie Reynolds, career development manager for FlexJobs, tells Parents.

Indeed, according to a recent FlexJobs survey of over 700 working mothers, 57 percent said that companies not allowing flexible schedules was among the top factors that caused them to either not apply, not accept, or to quit a job. 

That message has been received by many companies across the country. Here's a closer look at some of the companies that ranked well on the FlexJobs' list of workplaces offering parent-friendly benefits and flexibile schedule and work-life offerings.

This San Jose-based information technology company topped both the Great Places to Work for Parents list and the Flexjobs' Best Flexible Companies for Working Parents ranking.

Established in 1984 by a group of Stanford University computer scientists, Cisco is a trailblazer in many ways when it comes to parental benefits. In addition to being known for offering parents plenty of work-life balance, the company made headlines in recent years for implementing a gender-neutral parental leave policy, and also boldly changing its policy to include grandparents and other caregivers. The company also offers extra time off for emergencies.

Additional notable policies at Cisco include egg storage reimbursement, surrogacy reimbursement, and genetic testing. 

A nationally recognized financial services and wealth management company, Edward Jones has racked up a long list of awards for its progressive benefits including being named among the "100 Best Companies to Work For" and the "Best Workplaces for Women" by Fortune magazine, as well as one of the Human Rights Campaign's "Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality." 

The company has made clear that it believes in providing team members with the support, training, and benefits they need to reach their personal and professional goals. 

During the height of the pandemic, in the spring of 2020, the financial services firm launched the Edward Jones Parental/COVID-19 Taskforce, which served as a key listening post and strategy team advocating for the needs of associates, their families and working in a remote environment.

According to a company press release, the 20-member task force created critical policies, programs, and solutions that involve workplace flexibility, time off, dependent care and educational support for children, health and wellness, and financial support. 

The company's current benefits package continues to include paid parental leave, and adoption reimbursement, among other features. And remote work opportunities abound.

The Edward Jones' website points out that flexibile work policies are available to its permanent home-based associates and other part-time and contract workers. The company employs 1,600 permanent home-based associates across all 50 states.

While Progressive may be most well-known for its commercials featuring Flo, the insurance company also deserves some attention for its support of parents in the workforce.

Recognized as one of Equal Opportunity magazine's Top 50 Employers, Progressive has also been named one of the Best Places to Work by the Human Rights Campaign. 

Workplace policies supportive of parents of all types include:

• Paid parental leave for the bonding period with a new child, which includes 100 percent salary coverage up to four weeks for birth moms and dads, same-sex partners, adoptive parents, and foster parents (of children under 18 only).
• Maternity support programs for expectant and new mothers.
• Financial reimbursement for adoption expenses.
• Financial advice and resource recommendations for needs such as adult care and care for children with special needs

The insurance company also offers flexible work arrangements that include employees being able to work nonstandard hours or from home.

A company that made a fortune with its customer success platform, Salesforce is also well-known for its bold decision to be a flexible employer, one who has said  "so long" to "old ways of working" and "hello to flexibility, connection, and productivity from home, the office, on the road, or anywhere in between."

• Related: Is Work-Life Balance for Moms Total BS?

In addition to offering 100 percent remote and hybrid work opportunities, Salesforce significantly stepped up child care support during the height of the pandemic. The company's back-up child care program expanded to provide all full- and part-time employees with reimbursement of up to an equivalent of $100 per day for a maximum of five days per month for childcare. Salesforce, which has said "it is committed to ensuring that working parents are supported with the resources they need," also expanded its family care leave policy, making parents eligible for six weeks of paid time off.

As for ongoing benefits aimed at parents, Salesforce employees who have a new addition to the family are provided a generous amount of parental leave. Parents of any gender can take six months after the birth of a child. That leave is also flexible, meaning employees are allowed to spread it out rather than take all the time off at once. 

Germany-based SAP is another employer known for being a big supporter of work-life balance. The company offers a flexible, diverse culture that includes more than 15 percent of employees working from home, according to Flexjobs.

The enterprise services and software company also offers various other benefits designed to make life more manageable for parents, including a breast milk delivery service (Milkstork) for traveling moms, financial support for two cycles of infertility services, flexible work hours so that employees can arrange their schedule around personal circumstances, and paid family leave of up to six weeks after the birth of a child.

SAP employees can also take up to six weeks off for adoption assistance leave.

Finally, there's also a pregnancy disability return-to-work transition policy that allows mothers to reduce their work schedules during the first four weeks back to work to ease back into active emplooyment. 

Even without Paris Hilton, would this company really need any introduction? 

The global hotelier, which has been around since 1919, has developed a reputation for being an avid supporter of work flexibility, which includes offering hybrid and remote jobs in a variety of fields. 

• Related: Working Parents Would Rather Quit Than Go Back to the Office, New Poll Reveals

In 2019, Hilton announced a substantial expansion of its family-friendly benefits, including extending parental leave by two more weeks. Birthing parents get 12 weeks of paid time off, and non-birthing parents and adoptive parents are eligible for four weeks of paid time off. 

The company, which says it is committed to creating an "inclusive environment for all, including working parents," also offers: a Parents Concierge designed to support new parents and their managers; a Parenthood Journey Program in partnership with Stanford Medicine that provides video e-learning for new moms; and the Milkstork program, which allows employees to ship breast milk home to babies when traveling for work.

The company also offers adoption assistance.

When it comes to evidence of support for working parents, it's hard to beat this accolade: For more 15 consecutive years, Deloitte has been included on Working Mother's list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For.

The global business consulting firm offers alternative schedules and remote jobs, as well a family-friendly culture that permeates all levels of the work environment. 

Deloitte's maternity leave program provides 16 weeks off to bond with a child (whether the child was adopted or arrives via birth). The policy provides the same amount of time off to care for a a child with a serious health condition.

Deloitte also offers generous adoption and surrogacy programs, which include reimbursing eligible professionals up to $50,000 for expenses associated with adoption or birth through surrogacy. 

Yet another notable offering, Deloitte provides an emergency back-up dependent care program that can be tapped when an employee's regular childcare is unavailable. The program covers infants through teenage children for up to 30 days per year.

A credit card company known around the world, American Express offers an extremely flexible work culture. The options likely to appeal to parents, including working mothers and single parents, include hybrid, on-site, and fully remote positions, and the ability to work from anywhere an employee chooses for up to four weeks per year (a perk that can be truly beneficial during your children's summer vacations).

The company is also known for its parental leave policy, which offers 20 weeks of paid time off. The policy applies to parents of any gender who are welcoming a child through birth, adoption or surrogacy. In addition to the 20 weeks of paid parental leave, birthing parents can take an additional paid, six- to eight-week medically-necessary leave related to the birth of their child.

American Express also offers:

• Reimbursement of expenses to help with the cost of an adoption or surrogacy
• Financial support for reproductive and fertility treatments
• Access to board-certified lactation consultants
• Free breast milk shipping while traveling on company business

An information technology (IT) and services company, CoverMyMeds offers a variety of benefits and perks designed to support working parents, including paid parental leave and flex schedules.

The company's recently expanded family-planning coverage  includes comprehensive infertility services such as artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Flexible schedule benefits, meanwhile, encompass CoverMyMeds' "Flex for Your Day" framework, which allows flexible work arrangements for employees who need it. This ranges from job sharing to shift flexibility and compressed work weeks.

A global hotel behemoth, Marriott was recognized by Working Mother in 2020 for increasing its fully paid parental leave from two to eight weeks for parents of any gender, whether via birth or adoption. Marriott offers birth parents an additional seven weeks of partially paid leave.

Marriott is known for offering an adoption policy that includes reimbursing adoption-related expenses for full-time employees. The company also provides childcare assistance.