Working Mother has created the first-ever Best Companies for Working Dads list, and six New Jersey firms made the cut out of 35 overall.
“These trend-setting companies are helping erase the stigma attached to men taking off time to bond with their new babies and utilizing telecommuting opportunities or flexible schedules in order to be more involved on the home front. Not only does this help dads, it helps moms succeed both at home and at work, and puts them on more equal footing,” Meredith Bodgas, editor-in-chief of Working Mother, said.
Companies were selected based on applications for the 100 Best Companies and pulled questions directly related to dads, including paternity leave, adoption leave, surrogacy and fertility benefits, phase-back-to-work programs, childcare options, and employee-resource groups for men.
The six firms from the Garden State that made the list were:
- BASF, based in Florham Park;
- Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, based in Newark;
- Johnson & Johnson, based in New Brunswick;
- Merck & Co., based in Kenilworth;
- Sanofi, based in Bridgewater;
- Unilever, based in Englewood Cliffs.
Amanda Sourry, Unilever North America’s president, said fathers deserve the same support as mothers so they can find balance between their careers and being a parent.
“We are so proud to make the list of Best Companies for Dads,” Amanda Sourry, president of Unilever North America, said. “For a long time, discussions around benefits for working parents have centered around mothers, but fathers deserve the same support so that they can find balance between excelling in their careers and being present and involved parents. We know that when dads have the ability to be there for their families, everyone benefits. There is more work to be done in this area, and we will continue to step up to support both mothers and fathers at Unilever.”
Working Mother said 100 percent of the companies on the list offer full paternity leave, compared to 29 percent nationally. Also, all companies on the list offer fully paid adoption leave, compared to 28 percent nationally.
To see the full list, click here.
