Working Mother recently revealed its annual list of the 2019 100 Best Companies, representing more than 2 million employees in the United States. This year’s winners are focusing on inclusive benefits for families, including gender-neutral parental leave, gradual phase-back after leave, and accessible, affordable childcare. WellStar Health System – one of the largest and most integrated healthcare systems in Georgia – was among the 100 companies that earned a spot on this year’s list. This is WellStar’s 12th year in the top 100.
“Our 100 Best Companies are the standard of excellence and continue to pave the way with the work they are doing on behalf of working parents and caregivers in the U.S.,” says Subha Barry, president of Working Mother Media. “We celebrate their efforts and applaud them for addressing the needs of this important and ever-growing sector of talent.”
One of only two Atlanta-based companies on the list, WellStar is committed to developing programs to attract and retain talent with innovative offerings for working parents, such as its Wellbeing 365 program. With four pillars (Health, Finances, Career, and Work-Life), the program is designed to focus on employees’ total well-being. One of the key elements under the Work-Life pillar is the health system’s concierge service, which enables team members to be their best at work and at home by running errands such as grocery-shopping, picking up dry cleaning, and getting oil changes. Employees, including busy parents, have utilized the service to perform around 2,000 errands a month, saving busy employees—on average—2,500 hours. WellStar rolled out the concierge service to help enhance work/life balance and support employees by giving them more time to do other things—whether at home or at work—and peace of mind.
“At WellStar, we know that giving our employees the tools they need to be their best at work and at home benefits them, their families, and our patients. We care for our employees so they can care for our community,” explains David Jones, Executive Vice President of Human Resources at WellStar Health System.
In addition to the concierge service, some of the many ways WellStar’s Wellbeing 365 program supports working parents are:
- Giving both new mothers and fathers four weeks of paid parental leave;
- Providing adoption assistance;
- Offering an extended illness bank; and
- Alleviating caregiving needs, by providing care—and back-up care—options for children (including those with special needs) and adults/elders, both on-site and in-home.
“Parents are speaking out more than ever before about what they need in order to succeed at work and at home, and employers are paying attention,” says Meredith Bodgas, editor-in-chief of Working Mother. “By implementing family-friendly policies such as flexible schedules, paid parental leave, post-leave phase-back periods and mentoring programs, our 100 Best Companies are taking the needs of their employees into consideration in order to create a supportive, inclusive and productive environment.”
ABOUT THE METHODOLOGY
The 2019 Working Mother 100 Best Companies application includes more than 400 questions on leave policies, workforce representation, benefits, childcare, advancement programs, flexibility policies and more. It surveys the availability and usage of these programs, as well as the accountability of the many managers who oversee them. All applicants receive feedback showing how they compare with other applicants; however, the names of applicants that do not make the list are kept confidential. Company profiles and data come from submitted applications and reflect 2018 data.
ABOUT WORKING MOTHER MEDIA
Working Mother Media (WMM), a division of Bonnier Corp., publishes Working Mother magazine and its companion website, workingmother.com. The Working Mother Research Institute, the National Association for Female Executives, Diversity Best Practices and Culture@Work are also units within WMM. WMM’s mission is to serve as a champion of culture change, and Working Mother magazine is the only national magazine for career-committed mothers. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
ABOUT WELLSTAR HEALTH SYSTEM
At WellStar, our patients are the center of everything we do. Nationally ranked and locally recognized for our high-quality care, inclusive culture, and exceptional doctors and caregivers, WellStar Health system is one of the largest and one of the most integrated healthcare systems in Georgia. Our state-of-the-art facilities include: 11 hospitals; 300+ medical office locations; 9 cancer centers; 55 rehabilitation centers; 3 hospice facilities; 1 retirement village; 21 imaging centers; 15 urgent care locations; and 5 health parks. Every day, our team of 24,000+ healthcare professionals provides personalized care for patients at every age and stage of life.
As a not-for-profit health system, our passion for people extends beyond our system and into the communities we serve. Each year, WellStar thoughtfully reinvests in the creation of healthier communities through prevention and wellness programs, and charity care for eligible patients. The WellStar Foundation supports our mission with funding for equipment, services, programs, and more. To learn more about WellStar, visit wellstar.org.
