Verizon Named as one of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers, for the 12th Consecutive Year

NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --  For the 12th 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 balance their work and personal lives. Verizon placed 22nd overall on the list.

"Our company's success is built on attracting talented and highly skilled employees," said Magda Yrizarry, Verizon's chief talent and diversity officer. "Critical to that is providing a workplace culture that supports the unique needs of employees like working moms and creates an environment that allows them to excel and win. Benefits such as our on-site wellness centers and flexible work options make Verizon a great place to work -- not just for our working moms, but for all employees. It is extremely gratifying to once again be honored by Working Mother."

Working Mother also named Verizon a Top 10 Company for Health & Wellness, citing the company's strong fitness and nutrition programs. Carol Evans, president of Working Mother Media, said: "We are proud to honor Verizon as a Working Mother 2012 100 Best Company.  They have taken an out-of-the-box approach to work that makes life operate more smoothly for moms.  The company also has 44 on-site health and wellness centers to encourage a healthy lifestyle for all their workers." 

Women make up approximately 40 percent of Verizon's workforce and 30 percent of Verizon's senior management (vice president and above).

Verizon provides generous benefits to help employees balance their work and family lives. The company's gradual-return-to-work-policies for new parents enable employees to return to work on a reduced work schedule while maintaining full coverage of Verizon benefits. And flexible telecommuting options allow working parents to work at home when needed.

Companies were selected for the 2012 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.

A profile on Verizon and the flexible options it offers working mothers is featured in the October issue of Working Mother.

In 2011, more than 27,000 employees, of whom 44 percent were women, participated in

Verizon's Tuition Assistance Program, which pays up to $8,000 per year for studies in an employee's job-related field. Verizon provided more than $99 million in tuition assistance last year.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Earlier this year, Verizon earned the No. 3 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. – the tenth consecutive year that the company's commitment to diversity and inclusion has been recognized by the publication.

Verizon was also named one of the top companies on Working Mother magazine's list of Best Companies for Multicultural Women, the sixth consecutive year Verizon has made this list.  And the National Association of Female Executives named Verizon to the list of NAFE Top 50 Companies and 10 Nonprofits for Executive Women.

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 consumer, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 94 million retail customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500.  A Dow 30 company with $111 billion in 2011 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 188,000.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

SOURCE Verizon