General Mills Named One of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers by Working Mother Magazine for 13th Year

Employee wellness and flexibility offerings gain attention from Working Mother magazine

Working Mother magazine today named General Mills one of the 2008 Working Mother 100 Best Companies. The company’s family-friendly culture will be featured in the magazine’s October issue. General Mills has ranked on the 100 Best Companies list for 13 years in a row.

“We take great pride in consistently ranking as one of Working Mother’s 100 Best Companies,” said Kelly Baker, General Mills vice president of corporate diversity. “At General Mills, we continually evolve our flexibility, employee wellness, and other work/life programs to provide relevant resources for moms. This commitment helps us recruit and retain the best talent and to support a valuable part of our work force.”

General Mills recently began offering new employee wellness resources for moms, such as a post-natal yoga class at the company’s on-site fitness center. The company is also experimenting with a new workplace concept, named the Flexible User Shared Environment (FUSE), to find solutions for busy and mobile employees who want more freedom and support in deciding when and how they work. FUSE, which is currently being piloted with a small number of employees, gives workers the freedom and control to self-select how and where they are the most productive by providing space options, technology support and training.

“The economy is not going to alter the commitment of General Mills to working mothers, because they’ve made family-friendly policies a part of their corporate DNA,” said Carol Evans, CEO, Working Mother Media. “Supporting families is a vital part of their culture and not just an added benefit.”

Added Suzanne Riss, editor in chief, Working Mother magazine, “General Mills knows that their investment pays for itself through employee loyalty, and they realize that productivity depends as much on satisfied staffers as on smart processes. By helping employees manage their work/life demands, General Mills is creating a highly motivated work force.”

Methodology
General Mills was selected for the 2008 Working Mother 100 Best Companies based on an extensive application with more than 500 questions. The application included detailed questions about work force, compensation, child care, 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: work force 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 family-friendly policies, flexibility, leave policies and benefits for part-time employees.