Work: September 2007 Archives

Patagonia, the Ventura-based maker of outdoor sports gear, wins the prize for best Southern Californian on-site child care and overall kid-friendly work environment. Patagonia kids trick or treat through the office and get read to by the company CEO.

See my story in today's paper for more from Moms about their working environment.

Many have on-site daycare. Some allow up to two months paid maternity AND paternity leave. They have lactation "programs,'' and flextime. They are the top 100 companies for working Moms, according to Working Mother Magazine's annual list, released today.

Most of the California companies in the top 100 are high-tech Silicon Valley firms, but a few Socal employers made the list: Ventura-based Patagonia and Scripps Health in San Diego, which each have on-site, discounted childcare, the Holy Grail of parent-friendly benefits.

Working Mother has taken some criticism in the past for its list because lots of the companies still fall short of what working moms really want to see (for instance, I noticed that more than a quarter of the 100 still don't offer maternity leave beyond the federal mandate). But more on that later -- look for my story in tomorrow's paper.