(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pfizer Inc has been named among the 2009 Working Mother 100 Best Companies for its steadfast commitment to family-friendly benefits. Pfizer and the other winning companies are pioneering programs that support families, with 100 percent offering flextime, on-site lactation and telecommuting; and 98 percent offering job-sharing and wellness programs—numbers that dwarf those seen nationwide. In addition, financial programs available to the 100 Best employees are on the rise, a much needed boost for families in today’s economy. These include tuition reimbursement, retirement planning and pre-tax FSAs for childcare.

By contrast, national numbers¹ are dismal, with just 25 percent of companies offering on-site lactation (vs. 100 percent of the 100 Best), 11 percent with stress reduction programs (vs. 96 percent of the 100 Best), 35 percent offering health insurance for part-timers (vs. 99 percent of the 100 Best) and 16 percent offering job-sharing (vs. 98 percent of the 100 Best).

Even in tough economic times, the Working Mother 100 Best Companies employ creative programs that adeptly help employees in all areas of their lives. Pfizer offers benefits, programs and resources such as flexible-work arrangements, tuition reimbursement, adoption assistance, scholarships for children of employees, backup childcare, health improvement, mentoring, career management, and manager and leadership training – all of which allow employees to stay healthy, fulfilled, balanced, informed and innovative.

“It’s simple. As a company committed to better care for all of the world’s people, we’re convinced that good caregivers make good employees, and we’re further convinced that helping colleagues balance work and family responsibilities leads to healthier families, a healthier company, and a healthier world,” said Karen Boykin-Towns, chief diversity officer for Pfizer.

“The Working Mother 100 Best Companies stand head and shoulders above the rest,” added Carol Evans, chief executive officer, Working Mother Media. “For example, in the last year, we saw the number of companies nationwide offering flexible work arrangements diminish five percentage points, while the 100 Best Companies stayed steady at 100 percent. The 100 Best provide leadership where and when we need it most, furnishing a framework of support for working families during good times and bad. If all companies adopted these best practices, more families could weather the economic storm.”

Profiles of the 100 Best Companies, as well as national comparisons, are in the October issue of Working Mother and at workingmother.com.

“Moms are increasingly becoming the sole breadwinners in many households as men lose their jobs at a higher rate than women,” said Suzanne Riss, editor-in-chief, Working Mother magazine. “Now more than ever, our readers and all working mothers need the support of their employers. By offering benefits like paid maternity leave, the ability to work from home and wellness programs, as well as programs that enhance financial well-being, our 100 Best are helping to reduce stress in the busy lives of working moms. These companies epitomize family-friendly support at its best.”

Now in its 24^th year, the Working Mother 100 Best Companies program draws attention to the significant contributions working mothers make to industries and the companies that recognize the importance of tapping this essential labor pool. “We have faith that some day the programs found at the 100 Best Companies will become business norms offered by all companies,” said Ms. Evans. “When the economy recovers, lagging companies will lose out on a powerful group of dedicated employees—working moms.”

Methodology:

Companies were selected for the 2009 Working Mother 100 Best Companies based on an extensive application with more than 500 questions on workforce, compensation, child care, flexibility programs, leave policies and more. It also surveys 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, 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.

Pfizer Inc: Working together for a healthier world™

Founded in 1849, Pfizer is the world's premier biopharmaceutical company taking new approaches to better health. We discover, develop, manufacture and deliver quality, safe and effective prescription medicines to treat and help prevent disease for both people and animals. We also partner with healthcare providers, governments and local communities around the world to expand access to our medicines and to provide better quality health care and health system support. At Pfizer, colleagues in more than 90 countries work every day to help people stay happier and healthier longer and to reduce the human and economic burden of disease worldwide.

About Working Mother Media

Celebrating 30 years, Working Mother magazine reaches 2 million readers and is the only national magazine for career-committed mothers while workingmother.com brings to the Web a broad range of insight and solutions served to working mothers every day. Working Mother’s 24-year signature research initiative, Working Mother 100 Best Companies, is the most important benchmark for work-life practices in corporate America. With offices in New York and Washington, D.C., Working Mother Media, a division of Bonnier Corp., includes the National Association for Female Executives, Diversity Best Practices, the WorkLife Congress and the Multicultural Women’s Conference and Town Halls. Working Mother Media’s mission is to champion cultural change.

¹National statistics are taken from a recent study by the Society for Human Resource Management.