DIAGEO North America Named 100 Best Company by Working Mother

NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Highlighting the top companies who are paving the way for new moms and families everywhere, today Working Mother magazine has announced DIAGEO North America as one of the 2011 Working Mother 100 Best Companies. Demonstrating the power of change and their unwavering commitment to parents nationwide, 100 percent of this year's winning companies offer flextime hours, telecommuting, paid maternity leave and employee assistance programs.

"With more than 169,000 women hired last year, this year's 100 Best Companies make up an impressive group of winners who offer family-driven programs and benefits that far outpace their competitors," said Carol Evans, President, Working Mother Media. "This year's winning companies are proof that success lies in the numbers—97 percent of companies are offering prenatal education, weight-loss, wellness, and stress-reduction programs to employees at every level." 

"This recognition underscores Diageo's commitment to supporting working families. Our employees are fundamental to this business, and it is an honor to be recognized as a company that helps foster a family friendly culture," said Eliana Zem, Senior Vice President Human Resources, Diageo North America. "This year, Diageo jumped from being in the top 100 to the top 50 companies. I believe that this improvement is proof that Diageo's commitment and employee engagement continues to create a great culture for working moms." 

Diageo's flexible working arrangements, which include job share, flextime, compressed hours and opportunities to work from home, are all available to ensure that employees with diverse needs can balance their personal and work responsibilities.  Employees are provided with programs such as a concierge service that provides personal assistance in support of achieving a work-life balance.  Diageo also offers back-up daycare, and college placement assistance, and many office locations offer on-site services to help employees ease the tension between work responsibilities and a balanced life, including health clubs, laundry and dry cleaning services, and even film development and banking services.  Diageo encourages its employees to work closer to their homes and families, and should any existing policies not meet the personal needs of Diageo's employee-base – particularly parents and mothers who face unique challenges – the company strives to support new ideas from its staff.   

The Working Mother 100 Best Companies are judged on answers to 650 questions, including data on the access and usage of flexible work arrangements, parental leave, childcare, health and wellness support and the advancement of women to all levels of management.

"Diageo's commitment to working mothers has been clear since the first day I joined the company," said Sheila Stanziale, President, Diageo-Guinness USA. "The company is dedicated to providing benefits and access to flexible work arrangements in order to help us succeed as working moms. I'm proud to champion this commitment in the business that I lead at Diageo North America because, ultimately, balancing our work and home lives means greater productivity and success." 

DIAGEO will be celebrated at this year's Working Mother 100 Best Companies WorkLife Congress October 18-20, 2011, in New York City.

The 100 Best Companies, as well as national comparisons, are profiled in the October issue of Working Mother and at workingmother.com/bestcompanies. Working Mother is a division of Bonnier Corporation.

Methodology:

Companies were selected for the 2011 Working Mother 100 Best Companies based on an extensive application with more than 650 questions that surveys the usage, availability and tracking of programs, as well as the accountability of managers who oversee them.  Seven areas were measured and scored for the 2011 initiative: workforce 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. 

For more information on applying for the 2012 Working Mother 100 Best Companies, visit www.wmmsurveys.com. The 2012 online application will be available in mid-December and due by early March 2012.  All companies that apply, including those that don't make the Working Mother 100 Best Companies list, receive feedback showing how they compare with all other applicants.

About DIAGEO
Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O) is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, beer and wine. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Windsor, Buchanan's and Bushmills whiskies, Smirnoff, Ciroc and Ketel One vodkas, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Jose Cuervo, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

About Working Mother Media
Working Mother magazine reaches 2.2 million readers and is the only national magazine for career-committed mothers; WorkingMother.com (www.workingmother.com) gives working mothers @home and @work advice, solutions, and ideas. This year marks the 26th anniversary of Working Mother's signature research initiative, Working Mother 100 Best Companies, and the ninth year of the Best Companies for Multicultural Women. Working Mother Media, a division of Bonnier Corporation (www.bonnier.com), includes the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE, www.nafe.com), Diversity Best Practices (www.diversitybestpractices.com), and the Working Mother Research Institute. Working Mother Media's mission is to serve as a champion of culture change.

About Bonnier Corporation
Bonnier Corp. (www.bonniercorp.com) is one of the largest consumer-publishing groups in America and is the leading media company serving passionate, highly engaged audiences, through 50 special-interest magazines and related multimedia projects and events. Bonnier Corp. is the U.S. division of the Bonnier Group (www.bonnier.com), a 200-year-old, family-owned media group based in Sweden with business operations in 25 countries.

SOURCE Diageo