Working Mother magazine has named Baptist Health South Florida a 2007 Working Mother Best Company for Working Mothers.  Leading a significant and ongoing culture shift, Baptist Health is using company-wide benefits and programs to ensure the retention and advancement of working mothers. 

Baptist Health was named among the Top 10 companies on the list. Working Mother cited Baptist Health for its flexibility, family-friendly programs such as Backup Care Options and the Home Buyer’s Pineapple Perk, and opportunities for career advancement.  This is the 15th time that Baptist Health has been honored as an outstanding employer for working moms, which also lands Baptist Health in the Working Mother Hall of Fame.  Baptist Health was one of 19 healthcare organizations on the Top 100 list, and the only healthcare organization in the Top 10.

“Baptist Health is extremely honored — not only to be included in Working Mother’s Hall of Fame, but to be recognized as one of the Top 10 Companies for Working Mothers in the nation,” President and CEO Brian Keeley said.  “It’s clear that by listening to our employees’ needs and concerns, as in the Great Place, Great People initiative — and by translating them into improvements in the workplace — we can achieve great things for those who make Baptist Health’s mission possible every day.”

“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.  “Baptist Health  not only offers essential benefits like flextime and telecommuting—they go above and beyond with a range of best practices and policies to ease the difficulties for working parents and their families. Their supportive culture makes a huge difference to employees who want to be great moms and great workers.”

Added Suzanne Riss, the editor in chief of Working Mother magazine, “As a working mother myself, I understand how absolutely essential it is for companies to find ways to nurture the personal and professional lives of employees.  I commend Baptist Health for conceiving and effectively implementing programs and benefits that offer an inspiring paradigm for the rest of corporate America:  it is possible to be both family-friendly and financially successful.”

Methodology:  Baptist Health was selected for the 2007 Working Mother 100 Best Companies 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. 

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

 About Working Mother
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. The publication also releases the annual list of the Best Companies for Multicultural Women in the June issue.  Working Mother is published by Working Mother Media (WMM), which also owns the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), NAFE Magazine, the annual 100 Best Companies WorkLife Congress, as well as the Best Companies for Multicultural Women Conference and regional Town Halls.  In 2006, WMM acquired Diversity Best Practices, the preeminent organization for diversity thought leaders.

About Baptist Health South Florida
Baptist Health is South Florida’s largest not-for-profit, faith-based healthcare organization. With about 12,000 employees, it includes Baptist, Baptist Children’s, Doctors, Homestead, Mariners and South Miami Hospitals, as well as Baptist Outpatient Services and Baptist Health Enterprises. Baptist Health South Florida is based in Coral Gables, Florida.