These Are The Best Places to Work for Moms, 2021-2022

Fatherly and Scary Mommy are proud to introduce Parents@Work, a joint initiative designed to help organizations recruit, retain and support employees with kids. Based on our rigorous 148-point criteria, we created a certification program that evaluates companies on how their policies, benefits, and cultural practices improve outcomes for working parents. After careful consideration, we’re proud to introduce the Best Places To Work for Moms below. This honor roll, presented alphabetically, isn’t nearly exhaustive. We encourage any companies interested in getting certified to reach out.

To learn more about why we launched Parents@Work, you can read more here.

Alight Solutions

Alight Solutions, the Lincolnshire, Illinois-based human resources and financial services company, provides an impressive suite of benefits for new mothers on its staff, regardless of whether they’re working in the office or from home.

For starters the company provides eight weeks of paid parental leave — regardless of whether or not the employee is the birth parent. When the employee decides to return, Alight has a structured return-to-work transition period in place to make sure that parents can ease back into their regular schedules and take time to get reacclimated and caught up to speed on whatever changed during their leave.

Alight employees can get financial support for adoptions as well as prenatal and postnatal coaching — the company acknowledges that each person’s family may have a wildly different structure or origin story, and it provides benefits and perks for a variety of different scenarios or family needs. If issues do arise, Alight also gives employees access to backup childcare and eldercare.

CarGurus

The online car marketplace and search engine CarGurus provides working parents on its team with an impressively competitive benefits package given the company’s comparatively smaller size with just 760 employees.

For instance, the company provides new parents 19 weeks of paid leave to welcome a new child into the family, bond, and recuperate before coming back to work. That’s well above the average amount of time offered by the companies on this list and certainly higher than the industry at large — a positive sign for the future of compassionate and comprehensive parenting benefits at work.

CarGurus provides employees with access to Care.com, a service that helps users find babysitters, tutors and other caregivers. They can tap into that network for backup childcare and eldercare — an invaluable resource for when unexpected issues come up and parents need a hand looking after their kids or dependents.

With unlimited PTO, flexible work arrangements, and a supportive working parents affinity group, CarGurus proves that smaller companies can provide benefits on par with corporate giants.

Cerner

Healthcare information systems provider Cerner stands out for how generously it treats the new moms in its workforce through a large number of programs and third-party partnerships.

In addition to access to two onside daycares, Cerner provides support for backup childcare — and eldercare — for parents who need someone to watch their kids when problems or emergencies happen.

“I am so thankful for the maternity program at Cerner. Becoming a mom has been the most rewarding and simultaneously terrifying event of my life, and the support of the Cerner maternity group has been invaluable. Prior to delivering my son last May, my husband and I found the Cerner led courses on infant CPR and breastfeeding so helpful in preparing us to be first time parents.” – Jessica L.

In order to better support employees trying to expand their families, Cerner offers up to $5,000 in reimbursements for each adopted child. It also provides health plan members with an inclusive approach to fertility treatments, including IVF and egg freezing plans through the Progyny network. This benefit also provides personalized care and education through a digital portal that can deliver fertility medications.

Employees can have access to prenatal and postnatal coaching through a dedicated maternity navigator, as well as local health system partnerships that provide an enhanced maternity experience for Cerner parents.

And when it’s time to come back after parental leave, Cerner says it provides a transition period to help new parents reacclimate themselves to a working schedule, adjust and get brought up to speed on what they’ll be expected to do as they get back into the swing of things.

Citigroup

Citigroup, the fourth-largest bank in the United States and a household name, has parenting perks that matches its financial heft.

Citigroup’s parental leave policies are gender neutral — any new parent can take up to eight weeks of paid time off to bond with their new kid. But Citi clarified that birth parents can also take some extra time off as needed. Beyond that, Citi helps cover fertility treatments, adoption fees, and any costs associated with surrogacy for both its full-time employees and any who put in at least 20 hours per week.

Additionally, Citi created and maintains a “Families Matter” group that provides resources, connection, and webinars for working parents across all family types.

Citi also provides childcare — on-site when safe and subsidized otherwise — for any parents who need someone to look after their kids while they work. Then there’s general telehealth resources, backup care, and virtual mental healthcare resources that both full-time and part-time employees can tap into as needed. Another nice touch: Citigroup offers a college coaching benefit to help parents and their children navigate the admissions process.

Deloitte

For years now, Deloitte’s roughly 65,000 U.S. employees have received highly competitive amounts of parental leave and other perks, making this global professional service company a particularly supportive place for mothers to work. That’s especially true for those looking to start a family.

Every parent introducing a new kid to the family who works at Deloitte, regardless of gender or whether they’re the birth parent, can take 16 weeks of paid parental leave. And when it is time to come back, Deloitte eases employees back to work with a transitional period to help them ramp their schedule back up to normal rather than expecting them to jump right back into their full schedules.

Aside from easing employees back into work, Deloitte actively worked to make parenthood as painless as possible through benefits like a breast milk shipping service as well as both prenatal and postnatal coaching and care as needed.

For moms-to-be who are trying to conceive or planning to have kids down the road, Deloitte also provides reimbursements for egg freezing and infertility treatments. Deloitte plans to expand those payments to cover related elective procedures as well, taking into account that there’s a lot more to supporting employees than merely providing some time away from their desk.

Deluxe

The Deluxe Corporation provides small businesses with a wide range of financial and logistical services, from loans and checking to logo design and website development. The benefits it provides its employees is likewise broad in scope.

To start, Deluxe goes above and beyond when it comes to removing any financial barriers that might be in the way of its 5,300 employees’ family goals. The company says that it provides $20,000 to help cover fertility treatments, adoption-related costs, and any expenses from surrogacy — all independently of one another. Many of the competitive companies on this list provide some coverage, but to make so much money available for all three sets a new standard for workplace benefits.

Additionally, Deluxe recently partnered with WinFertility to make sure new parents have the support they need throughout any of those processes.

Deluxe also provides employees with a number of support systems. That means access to telehealth through the company’s medical plans, as well as childcare subsidies that cover ten days’ worth as well as backup childcare and eldercare as needed.

Because navigating parenthood alone can be confusing and overwhelming, Deluxe also set up employee resource groups — including one that’s specific to women and one that’s specific to parents — to make sure that employees have a dedicated place to share resources or tips.

Diageo

Diageo, the global beverage alcohol company responsible for Guinness, Johnnie Walker, and Captain Morgan, among others, encourages its consumers to enjoy responsibly. The same could be said about the messaging to its own workforce when it comes to maternity benefits.

Out of all the companies on this list, Diageo is in first place for the amount of parental leave gives new parents — a position that’s even more impressive given that the company’s team of just 1,900 employees makes it smaller than most of the others. With 26 weeks of paid time away from work, employees can take advantage of industry-leading perks when they start or expand their families.

Especially crucial in the absence of onsite services, Diageo offers its employees childcare subsidies, a childcare concierge, and telehealth access that employees can access as needed.

eBay

The online auction house and retailer eBay has been a driving force in e-commerce for the last 26 years, becoming the place for everything from common goods to the rarest collectibles online. Included among their wares: A supportive and comprehensive work culture for parents.

When it comes to employee health, eBay has employees totally covered. eBay offers Progyny to help employees access services from a national network of fertility clinics, Heal to provide on-demand doctor visits or virtual consultations, and Grand Rounds for help finding high-quality doctors.

eBay offers new moms 12 weeks of parental leave at full pay. And, unlike many companies with a more “use it or lose it approach,” eBay employees can use their leave all at once or break it up and divide it over the course of the next year as they see fit, because the company acknowledges that new parents may need unexpected time away from work down the road. Like other companies on the list, eBay offers access to Cleo to provide expert resources for postpartum wellness, lactation assistance, and newborn care.

For social support, the company’s “New Moms at eBay” and Parents groups give mothers a place to share tips, navigate the company’s benefits, and get recommendations for healthcare providers or childcare. According to eBay, “The spirit of community is strong, with people jumping in to help each other with everything from relocating families looking for childcare referrals, to recommendations for fun places to take kids on the weekend…” With generous leave, access to leading resources, and a strong community, eBay offers working moms an environment where they can thrive.

Facebook

Social media and tech research giant Facebook offers its 52,500 U.S. employees extremely competitive perks, especially when it comes time to start a family.

Facebook provides 16 weeks of paid bonding time to all of the new parents on its US-based staff, but new birth parents can also take an additional four extra weeks before their due date and up to six weeks afterward, during which they still get 100 percent of their salary. Facebook also provides working parents with a competitive amount of childcare support, including a $3,000 annual childcare subsidy, 10 days of backup care, and access to a referral concierge for everything from child, senior, and special needs care, as well as to pet care, tutoring, and housekeeping.

Facebook anticipates parents’ needs both at work and at home. The company provides on-demand “care sessions” that give parents need-to-know tips before they go on leave, created a number of internal groups so working parents can support each other, and even goes as far as providing breastfeeding and lactation workshops on top of more generalized prenatal care for employees who are expecting.

And while Facebook took great strides to encourage staff to work from home and support those who already do, it also provides resources like breast milk shipping to any moms who might find themselves away from home because of their jobs.

Hilton

The hotel giant Hilton, which now includes 18 different brands, gives its working moms a wide variety of perks to help them start and care for their new families, regardless of whether they work on-location, at a corporate office, or from home.

One of the only companies on our list to do so, Hilton created its own concierge service that serves as a point of contact and help line for any new or expecting parents as they plan, take, and return from their parental leave. The concierge also helps any new parents who permanently work from home access the company’s benefits, making sure that employees don’t get left behind just because they work remotely.

““With children, my spouse and other life events, Hilton provides me with a flexible work schedule enabling me to effectively manage my life while not being stressed about missing work. It is a company that cares about Team Members’ total wellbeing – including taking care of our mental wellbeing.” – Hilton Team Member

New moms enjoy 12 weeks of paid leave and, if they need to travel after that leave expires, can ship breast milk to their homes for free through Milk Stork. With backup care and plentiful PTO, Hilton provides moms at all stages with increased flexibility, a coveted perk regardless of what industry you’re in.

Hilton also partnered with Thrive Global and Stanford University to create unique virtual training programs for new working parents but especially for their managers, who may need pointers on how to best support their teams.

ICF

ICF Consulting, management consultants with offices around the world, specializes in future-proofing organizations in the areas of healthcare and public health, transportation infrastructure, and the environment. The walk the walk with a parent-first culture that is supportive for moms and dads and alluring for would-be parents.

New moms can claim up to four weeks of paid parental leave, whether or not they’re the birth parent. Birth parents, however, get a little bit of a sweeter deal. They’re eligible for another six to eight weeks of paid short-term disability, the first five weeks of which still pay out 100 percent of their regular salary.

On top of that, expecting or new moms can tap prenatal and postnatal coaches — all online — to help them navigate new parenthood and the challenges they’ll face along the way. And something must be working right, since ICF Consulting says that almost 100 percent of the new moms who work there have taken advantage of their time off and other perks, suggesting that the company fosters a culture where employees feel comfortable actually using their benefits and taking time away from work.

Mastercard

The financial services corporation and near-ubiquitous credit card provider Mastercard recently took stock of the benefits, programs, and other perks it offers employees and decided to ramp them up. The company improved its benefits and special perks on multiple occasions throughout 2020, especially when it came to how it treated new parents on its team and workers who were stuck at home. The result: Mastercard has become a sincerely inviting and supportive place for moms and dads to work.

Mastercard recently launched the Inclusive Family Building Program to help employees financially as they start a family. Eligible employees are entitled to up to $20,000 to help cover any costs associated with adoption, fertility treatments, or the surrogacy process. That’s on top of the Mastercard Employee Assistance Fund — which isn’t exclusive to parents — that can provide grants for employees facing sudden economic hardships such as unexpected medical bills or the loss of a partner. All of those various funds and stipends put Mastercard well above the average amount of financial support companies will typically set aside for their employees, setting a new standard for other employers to compete against.

Once they have kids, new mothers can tap Mastercard for up to 20 days — per dependent — of backup childcare or eldercare through the company’s partnership with Bright Horizons. And through the Infant Transition Care Program, new moms can take up to an additional ten days to care for their newborns before they turn one year old.

Beyond that, employees in eligible areas also get free memberships to Sittercity.com, a network that helps find babysitters or other domestic workers.

Maven Clinic

Maven Clinic’s mission is to make real medical advice accessible and affordable for women. The company connects workers with ob-gyns, nutritionists, lactation consultants, and other specialists virtually, all at the fraction of the cost of a traditional visit. This same women-focused, forward-thinking vision extends to how the New York-based startup supports the moms on staff.

Maven helps aspiring moms on staff pay for prenatal coaches, doula support, fertility aid, surrogacy, and adoption costs — whatever they need to grow their families in whatever way they want to. And once they’re moms, Maven workers get a dozen weeks of paid parental leave, breastmilk shipping, postnatal coaches, and a host of other benefits designed to help them balance their lives as good employees and good parents.

“Maven’s benefits and policies for parents are fantastic,” one employee says, “but more than anything else, it’s the culture of support and flexibility that makes Maven a great place to work.”

MindPoint Group

MindPoint Group, a reputable cybersecurity consulting firm with a small-but-growing team, has just 151 employees — a fact that allows the company to offer a great deal of flexibility and personalized support to its workforce.

The company really stands out on this list because of its emphasis on taking a human-centric approach to company culture and centering its employees’ needs first and foremost. That holds up with the way MindPoint Group treats its working parents. The company boasts that 100 percent of the new moms on its payroll take advantage of the parental leave and other perks offered to them, which include prenatal and postnatal coaches, extra leave time, and other benefits — emblematic of a company culture in which employees actually feel comfortable and supported enough to step away when they need to.

Part of the work to build up such an accommodating company culture stems from asking and actually listening to what employees and especially working parents say they need. That’s why MindPoint Group has specific company groups set up to allow parents to share resources and tips with each other as well as to better communicate their needs to the company at large.

Nav Technologies Inc

The financial services app Nav Technologies, Inc helps pair small business owners with things like loans, credit cards, and can pull credit reports. With just 120 employees in the United States, Nav Technologies is considerably smaller than most of the companies on this list but still offers comparable benefits capable of helping push the industry forward.

Nav Technologies says that it has a large LGBTQ+ community within its workforce, so it doesn’t break down or divide parental benefits based on gender to make sure that parents get the perks they deserve regardless of their preferences or the structure of their families.

“My top considerations as a mother and as an engineer are work-life balance, flexible work hours, and career development. I want to crush my goals at work and still be able to go to an important soccer match when needed. Nav was my top choice because they care for me as a person and in turn, I am able to deliver my best work without sacrifices.” Katie P.

But the benefits themselves are still very competitive. Because Nav Technologies had a large remote workforce even before the pandemic began, the company provides ways for employees to stay connected wherever they might be located, like through the women’s group and the parents group it established.

As far as the benefits themselves go, Nav Technologies provides extra support to help employees with family planning and also offers various forms of virtual healthcare. Those include telehealth coverage, a 24/7 helpline that connects employees to medical professionals, and a series of virtual mental healthcare programs that Nav hosted in the middle of the pandemic.

Nuance Communications

Nuance Communications, a tech company that develops AI chatbots and voice recognition algorithms, has stepped up to the plate for working moms, with a competitive benefits package and company culture to back it.

The company boasts that all of the new moms who work there take advantage of the 12 weeks of paid parental leave they’re offered. Leave is one thing, but the company also provides a wide variety of other perks to support new parents throughout the process of starting, growing, or taking care of their families.

““Blessed to have had 18 amazing weeks with my sweet Harrison (thanks Nuance!). I’m so excited to get back to the work that I love and setting new goals to achieve with Harrison and our little family in mind. Work is important to me. I want Harrison to know he can love work and love his family too…”

Nuance Communications provides its employees with both prenatal and postnatal coaching as part of its 24/7 nurses hotline, which they can also tap into for general health questions and concerns for themselves and their kids.

When it’s time to come back to work, Nuance offers a flexible transition schedule for the first month after parental leave so that employees can readjust to their schedules and the expectations of their jobs after taking the time away. And when they are away from their kids, Nuance makes sure that new moms can still take care of their kids through services like breast milk shipping — an increasingly common perk that shows companies acknowledge that parents will always have other important commitments that need taking care of even during working hours.

Okta

Okta, a San Francisco-based cloud software and identity management company, offers a full suite of benefits on par with companies 2-3 times its size. This seems fitting, given how much the company has had to hire over the last several years.

New moms, whether or not they’re the person giving birth, receive up to 18 paid weeks of parental leave to spend time bonding with and caring for their new children. That’s well above the average of companies on this listx, setting the bar high for any companies that want to stay competitive. They also provide a subsidy toward childcare and eldercare expenses, along with access to a concierge service to help employees find and take advantage of their caregiving options.

On top of Okta’s gender-neutral parental leave policy, new parents can take advantage of the company’s Dynamic Work program. The program lets parents figure out their ideal working schedules and locations, even if that doesn’t end up being at one of Okta’s 14 offices. If they do continue to work from home, those parents can tap into childcare services, remote fitness classes and other wellbeing sessions, and other related perks.

PIMCO

Financial professionals, individuals, and institutional investors turn to PIMCO when they need help deciding where to invest their money. But the most important investments that the powers that be at the Newport Beach based asset management firm have made are those in their employees, specifically the ones that make it possible for moms to lead complete lives while working there.

PIMCO’s paid leave for moms is generous, at 20 total weeks, but it’s the fact that 100% of mothers take advantage of that leave that’s truly impressive. Parents-to-be also get virtual access to prenatal coaches, and insurance covers doulas and midwives who can be invaluable in creating successful birth experiences.

And when these new moms return to work, they’re greeted by generous benefits like postnatal coaching and breastmilk shipping along with a New Parent Support team that provides one-on-one peer mentoring from experienced parents at the company. Along with that 100% leave rate, it’s proof that the culture of the company, not just the benefits on paper, are decidedly pro-parent.

Progyny

It is fitting that Progyny, a benefits provider that makes high-quality fertility treatments financially accessible to employees of many companies on this list, “walks the walk,” earning its place on this list.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Progyny provides the working parents on its staff with a wide variety of benefits and financial programs to help them start or expand their families — including covering the costs of surrogacy, adoption, fertility treatments, and other forms of family planning.

Progyny also provides resources to help employees through the big transitions of early parenthood ¬— both introducing a new kid into the family and, eventually, managing the return to work after taking leave. The company gives new parents and their partners prenatal and postnatal coaching that continues through the first year of their child’s life.

On top of that, Progyny offers up access to therapists — both online through a covered telehealth platform and onsite. They’re there to help parents not only with their initial return to work but also with any other issues or reasons they might need support during that first year, as the company acknowledges that parents may not immediately be prepared or equipped to jump right back into the swing of things without a little extra help.

Rackspace Technology

Rackspace Technology is a leader in managed cloud services, a market category that didn’t exist until about 15 years ago. As a young company in a nascent field, it should come as no surprise that Rackspace is also innovative in how it supports its 3,300 employees, particularly the parents on staff.

New moms receive a healthy ten weeks of pregnancy leave and six weeks of bonding leave, and those with older kids can use their 40 annual hours of volunteer time off to chip in at their kids’ school without chipping away at time off better saved for family vacations or sick days home from school. Rackspace also covers midwife services and offers access to coaches for soon-to-be and new moms.

“When I returned to work after my first child was born, Rackspace Technology had fully stocked ‘Mother’s Rooms’ that allowed for women who were pumping or just needed a rest to utilize at any time during the day,” one Racker raved about an all too uncommon perk of working at the company. “I felt extremely lucky to have been given these resources to make it easy for me to schedule pumping time into my workday schedule.”

Reddit

Reddit, founded by outspoken parental leave advocate Alexis Ohanion, shines for providing some of the more generous and accommodating childcare benefits to the parents on its 830-person staff.

The company offers a Day Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) that gives any employees with a dependent $5,000 as an annual stipend for childcare, educational resources like tutors, and school supplies. Employees also have access to extra childcare benefits through Kinside.

Reddit also provides access to Cleo, a service employees can tap for prenatal and postnatal coaching, counseling, estate planning, and educational sessions like infant CPR. And if employees so choose, they can also expense midwife and doula support through their medical insurance.

More companies have been expanding the amount of paid parental leave time they offer to new parents — Reddit provides a very competitive 16 weeks — in recent years. But the company took things a step forward with one of the more inclusive leave programs so far by explicitly providing an 8.5-week “loss of pregnancy” leave for any employees who need it if they or their partners lose their pregnancy.

While many employers may be understanding and give employees time off in a similar situation, explicitly creating and spelling out the program in advance is important because now employees can get the support they need without having to approach management and explain the situation or ask for special accommodation in a way that could be needlessly uncomfortable or invasive.

Ro

Ro is a company that’s never been short on vision. The New York-based start-up’s mission is to “build a patient-centric health care system” premised on flexibility, transparency, and innovation. Those same values guide its policies for the parents it employs.

The support for moms working at Ro begins before they’re moms. The company offers a robust suite of fertility benefits for all parents, including same-sex and single, with one being a $20,000 stipend that workers can put toward fertility, adoption, or surrogacy services. And once their child arrives, Ro provides four months of paid leave and a novel transition program, called Phase Back, that gives new parents 10 personal days in their first three months back on the job.

“It’s one thing to have the time and support that you need to work and raise a child (that’s table stakes); it’s a whole other thing to feel inspired and pushed professionally to execute, while at the same time having the space and flexibility to be a parent,” says Laurey Lou, a medical affairs manager at Ro. “This unique balance can only be a product of a company that truly values its people.”

Ryan

The corporate tax services company Ryan counts some prominent companies among its list of clients. But the company takes care of its own first, with some of the most generous employers out there when it comes to job perks and benefits

Ryan’s biggest selling point for working parents may be how much it values flexibility in the workplace. On top of the eight weeks of parental leave parents can take after introducing a new child into their family, Ryan gives unlimited paid time off to 80 percent of its roughly 1,900 US based employees — and the rest get a still-very-generous 22 to 27 days away from the office as needed.

““Ryan’s focus on results and personal accountability puts me in the driver’s seat to achieve success in many areas on my own schedule. Whether it be Cub Scouts, board hearings, meeting with my team, swim lessons, client calls, project work, or the occasional break to be ‘gone fishin,’ I am provided the freedom to invest my time and attention where it makes the most impact to my personal and professional success each day.” – Kelly O.

When they are at work, working parents can use the myRyan program to set their hours and weekly schedules in a way that makes sense for them — allowing parents to actually be parents instead of having to tiptoe around job expectations while taking care of their kids.

Meanwhile, Ryan also offers up remote healthcare, like virtual mental health resources, access to a medical helpline that’s running 24/7, and other wellness programs like virtual fitness programs.

Salesforce

Salesforce’s benefits package is one of the best anywhere when it comes to the specific needs that working moms have while caring for their family.

It all starts with its industry-leading 26 weeks of paid time off for new parents. Given the company’s size and prominence, we hope this serves as a bellwether for other companies looking to improve workplace conditions for parents, in the tech sector and beyond. For backup care, Salesforce offers a generous reimbursement on expenses while providing access to Bright Horizons platform for finding caregivers.

Salesforce provides a number of resources to new moms who are still expecting or figuring out how to once again balance work alongside parenthood. They offer breast milk shipping through Milk Stork to help moms while travelling (remember travel?) and coaching resources through providers like Cleo who match employees to global family health experts — including doulas, lactation consultants, career coaches, and more.

When parents return to work, Salesforce’s Gradual Return Program allows them to work 4 days per week for the first 4 consecutive weeks for full pay. Combined, these benefits offer new and existing moms 360 degrees of support.

Synopsys

The silicon computer chip firm Synopsys’ recently expanded benefits provide new moms with comprehensive and caring support. You could say it’s equally good to be a mother or motherboard working at Synopsys.

Synopsys offers its working moms the same perks and resources regardless of whether or not they actually gave birth to their kids. The company also boasts that 100 percent of the new moms who work there take advantage of the available 12 weeks of paid time off. That’s an important distinction, as many companies offer competitive amounts of leave but their cultures don’t allow new parents to actually take advantage of it.

“When I started my career at Synopsys, I was also starting to expand my family. When my sons were born, I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a cute onesie that said “Future Synopsoid,” and a note of congratulations from our co-CEOs, Aart De Geus and Chi-foon Chan. I always felt fully supported by my managers when I needed to make those early doctor’s appointments and baby wellness appointments. Synopsys has a strong family culture and would host events where Synopsys could bring their children to work for picnics and spring and holiday events.” – Anna G.

Meanwhile, Synopsys gives new moms and moms-to-be benefits including payments toward fertility treatments, surrogacy costs, and adoption fees. Synopsys also offers ReThink, a platform geared for caregivers of children with neurological differences. Lastly, taking into consideration the financial aspects of parenting, Synopsys provides employees extensive educational resources through Bright Plan and student loan assistance through Fidelity.

TIAA

The Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association (TIAA) first started as a financial service for teachers, and has since expanded to provide insurance and other support to academics, researchers, and various non-profits. As such, it has its pulse on the needs of working parents, and delivers to its own employees.

During the pandemic, TIAA established virtual programs that responded to the unique challenges parents were facing while work — and school — all started to happen at home. For instance, TIAA employees can access virtual or in-person babysitting and other household support through Sittercity as part of TIAA’s Bright Horizons Enhanced Family Supports program.

“TIAA allows me to grow in my career and bring my whole self to work – as a minority woman and a parent. It is clear from the culture, benefits and work the company prioritizes and highlights that setting someone like me up for success is front and center. From flexible work arrangements to incredible benefits like parental leave, tutoring, teledoc and general wellness support for the entire family, TIAA is definitely a huge part of the ‘village’ helping me raise my boys.” – Mercedes S.

Sittercity also helps pair students with tutors, test preparatory services, and other academic resources. It’s not just parents that had to adjust to everything going remote, so TIAA stepped up to make sure its employees’ children were well-supported as well.

Not only does that cover scheduled babysitting, but TIAA also provides extensive backup childcare support — more so than most companies on this list — to make sure parents can get the help they need on short notice.

TIAA also provides resources catered to newer parents whose kids may not have started school yet. TIAA partnered with Milk Stork for times when a new mother absolutely needs to be away from home for work. The company covers 100 percent of the costs from pumping and either traveling with or shipping breast milk back home from anywhere in the world, making sure that work doesn’t ever interfere with a mother’s plan to continue breastfeeding her child.

Upwork

While its mission is connecting freelancers to people who need their services, San Francisco-based Upwork is also doing its part to improve full-time work. The parents among its 570 employees enjoy a slew of benefits that allow them to lead complete, fulfilling lives outside of work.

There’s the 12 weeks of paid parental leave and the ramp-up period for new parents returning to the office, of course, but Upwork also does more than most companies in helping its staff members become parents. It helps cover the cost of fertility treatments, surrogacy, family planning, and adoption expenses, making it easier for its employees to become parents. And once they have kids, benefits like subsidies for daycare and access to postnatal coaches make motherhood that much easier.

“At Upwork, we bring all elements of who we are to work, and motherhood is a large part of me that has always been elevated here,” one employee says. “The flexibility, culture, support from leadership, and benefits allow team members to harmonize work and family.”

Very

With just 67 employees and no hourly workers, the internet of things product and software developer Very is among the smallest companies on this list — and yet it goes above and beyond by offering perks and benefits comparable with those at much larger corporations.

Both new moms and new dads at Very are eligible for the same amount of parental leave — a gender neutral policy designed explicitly to acknowledge and reinforce that gender shouldn’t dictate how much time a parent gets to spend with their new kid. Any new parent can take six weeks — half at full salary and half unpaid — of parental leave. But birth parents do get an extra seven weeks of leave, paid at 50 percent of their salary, prior to the unpaid period. Very also created a generous “Welcome Back Bonus” offered to returning moms, which equates to the amount of half-time pay forfeited during maternity leave.

Benefits like prenatal and postnatal coaching have gradually become an expectation within any competitive benefits package. Very offers both, but also goes beyond that to provide insurance plans that allow for midwife and doula support — much less common in the workplace today — to new moms as well.

Finally, the fact that Very has operated with a fully-remote workforce for ten years now means that it’s a pro when it comes to providing employees with flexible benefits that take into consideration the challenges of working from home – these include telehealth, virtual fitness and wellness programs, and an annual $1000 stipend to spend on home offices.

ZX Ventures

ZX Ventures, a division within the beverage giant Anheuser-Busch Inbev, invests in, develops, and helps launch an ever-growing portfolio of new drink brands, products, and technologies. The company also goes out of its way to raise a glass to its working parents.

Though ZX Ventures, as a standalone unit, is pretty small with just about 100 employees, it leverages its position within a much larger corporation to provide the competitive perks and partnerships one would expect from a major employer. These range from healthcare, like the Cigna Fertility and Contraception Program and the Cigna Surrogacy Program — as well as an impressive $25,000 lifetime reimbursement for fertility treatments and egg storage through a partnership with WINFertility.

With backup childcare through Bright Horizons, telehealth through Amwell and Cigna’s MDLive, ZCX Ventures opted to go to the professionals within each field to make sure its employees are well supported across the board.

ZX also makes sure to support its working parents year-round instead of just when they’re bringing new kids into the family or someone’s sick. The company and its partners provide virtual programs and workshops on a regular basis, including Bright Horizons programming that helps prepare kids for the return to school, sessions on coaching parents to better support their LGBTQ+ children, and more casual events like a virtual version of Take Your Kids to Work Day.