General Mills Applauded for its Family-Friendly Workplace

General Mills ranks in the top 10 of Working Mother’s 2009 ‘100 Best Companies’ list

Working Mother magazine today named General Mills as one of the “2009 Working Mother 100 Best Companies” for its unwavering dedication to family-friendly benefits. General Mills has ranked on the 100 Best Companies list for the past 14 years and is listed among the “Top 10” this year.

“We care about employees and their families and offer mom-friendly resources to support a valuable part of our work force,” said Ken Charles, vice president of diversity and inclusion for General Mills. “We take this commitment seriously, and I’m proud to say that the majority of General Mills’ U.S. retail businesses are now led by working mothers.”

Working Mother applauded General Mills for its strong commitment to the advancement of women and its “impressive leave policies,” such as a personal sabbatical program, in the October issue of the magazine.

General Mills has a long history as a family-friendly workplace and continuously evolves its programs to remain relevant for today’s busy parents. Benefits include everyday flexibility, child care support, adoption support, wellness programs, a parenting club, and a formal phase back to work benefit. General Mills’ infant care center at its headquarters has been a popular perk with employees since it opened in 2000, and was recently expanded by 60 percent to accommodate more families.

“The Working Mother 100 Best Companies stand head and shoulders above the rest,” said Carol Evans, president, Working Mother Media. “For example, in the last year, we saw the number of companies nationwide offering flexible work arrangements diminish 5 percentage points, while the 100 Best Companies stayed steady at 100 percent. If all companies adopted these best practices, more families could weather the economic storm.”

General Mills, along with the other 100 Best Companies, is featured in Working Mother’s October issue and on its Web site.

Methodology
General Mills was selected for the 2009 Working Mother 100 Best Companies based on an extensive application with more than 500 questions on work force, compensation, child care, flexibility programs, leave policies and more. It also surveys the use, availability and tracking of programs, as well as the accountability of managers who oversee them. Seven areas were measured and scored: work force profile, benefits, women’s issues and advancement, child care, flexible work, parental leave, and company culture. For this year’s 100 Best, particular weight was given to benefits, flexibility and parental leave.