Verizon Named as One of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers, for the 10th Consecutive Year

NEW YORK, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- For the 10th consecutive year, Verizon has been named to Working Mother magazine's list of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers.

The annual list honors companies that have family-friendly benefits and policies that help working mothers strike a balance between their work and personal lives.

"At Verizon we constantly strive to mirror the communities we serve and create a workplace environment where everyone has the opportunity to excel in their career while also striking a healthy work-life balance," said Magda Yrizarry, Verizon's chief diversity officer and vice president for talent management. "Our goal is to make Verizon an employer of choice, and we have a long tradition of fostering personal growth and creating professional opportunities for our employees. So to be honored by Working Mother for the 10th year in a row is a particularly gratifying achievement."

Working Mother cited Verizon for a long-term commitment to the advancement of women and for the company's health and wellness programs and other initiatives that support working mothers.

"We are excited to announce Verizon's selection as one of the Working Mother 100 Best Companies for 2010," said Jennifer Owens, the magazine's senior director, editorial research & initiatives. "The company promotes working-mom wellness through 38 on-site health and wellness centers, as well as on-site medical screenings, immunizations, mammograms and smoking-cessation initiatives."

Women make up 41 percent of Verizon's workforce and 29 percent of Verizon's senior management.

In 2009, Verizon increased spending on tuition assistance to $120 million and increased spending on training by $70 million, to $300 million, for a total of $420 million in employee training and development.

For employees returning from childbirth or child adoption leaves, Verizon has a generous Gradual Return to Work Program, which enables employees to return to work on a reduced work schedule while maintaining full coverage for Verizon benefits. Verizon's adoption assistance program provides up to $10,000 for expenses incurred during the adoption of a child.

Companies were selected for the 2010 Working Mother 100 Best Companies list based on an extensive application with more than 600 questions on workforce, compensation, child care, flexibility programs, leave policies and other issues.  Verizon's application included data from the company's largest business groups.  

Profiles of Working Mother magazine's 100 Best Companies, as well as national comparisons, are in the publication's October issuer and at workingmother.com/bestcompanies.

A Long-Standing Series of Honors

Earlier this year, Verizon was named to DiversityInc magazine's 2010 list of Top 50 Companies for Diversity for the 10th consecutive year, having earned the No. 1 ranking in 2006 and 2008.

Verizon also earned the No. 4 ranking in the Latina Style 50, LATINA Style magazine's annual list of the best companies for Latinas to work for in the U.S. This is the eighth consecutive year that the company's commitment to diversity and inclusion has been recognized by the publication.

Verizon was named one of the top five companies on Working Mother magazine's list of Best Companies for Multicultural Women, the fourth consecutive year Verizon has made this list.

The National Association of Female Executives named Verizon to the association's list of 2010 NAFE Top 50 Companies for Executive Women, which spotlights corporations with practices and employment records that benefit women and encourage their advancement to top management positions. And for the fifth consecutive year, the Women's Business Enterprise National Council named Verizon to the council's annual list of America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprise.

For more information about Verizon's commitment to diversity, visit the company's press kit on diversity at http://newscenter.verizon.com/kit/diversity/. 

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 92 million customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon last year generated consolidated revenues of more than $107 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

SOURCE Verizon