PRESS RELEASE, OCT 6, 2021
NEW YORK, NY (October 6, 2021)—Seramount (formerly Working Mother Media) revealed its annual list of the 2021 100 Best Companies today, representing almost four million employees in the United States. The Estée Lauder Companies is among the 100 companies that earned a spot on this year’s list. This year’s winners focused on inclusive benefits for families, including paid gender-neutral parental leave, backup childcare, and how the organizations supported their employees throughout COVID-19.
“We are so proud of ELC’s commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace environment for our employees as we have demonstrated through prioritized paid sick and family leave, 20 weeks of paid parental leave and 6 weeks of back to work flexibility in the U.S. Additionally we have expanded back-up childcare and eldercare employee benefits to support those affected by COVID-19 during the past 18 months,” said Marilu Marshall, Senior Vice President, Executive Management, Global Chief Inclusion Diversity & Equity Officer, The Estée Lauder Companies.
“Working parents and caregivers have had to shoulder so much responsibility throughout the pandemic, and our 100 Best Companies continue to offer support through their generous programs and benefits,” says Subha V. Barry, President of Seramount. “These companies have made the needs of their employees a priority, and we celebrate their commitment to creating an inclusive workplace culture where this critical talent pool can thrive.”
Key findings from the Seramount 2021 100 Best Companies list:
- Companies continue to move toward gender-neutral parental leave: 88 percent of this year’s winners offer fully paid, gender-neutral parental leave compared to 67 percent of winners a year ago.
- Ninety-one percent of winning companies offer backup childcare in centers, while 79 percent offer backup childcare in the home.
This year Seramount added specific questions about how organizations helped parents and caretakers with time off, flexible hours, and other benefits during COVID-19. There is a significant difference between the responses of companies that made the list and those that didn’t, showcasing how the 100 Best Companies pivoted to help working families.
- Seventy-eight percent of winning companies increased mental-health coverage for employees and/or dependents as a result of COVID-19 (compared to 47 percent of non-winners).
- Sixty-five percent of winning companies allowed employees to hire and pay any new caregivers (not part of the company-supported network) because of COVID-19 (compared to 25 percent of non-winners), and 63 percent increased childcare reimbursements because of COVID-19 (compared to 29 percent of non-winners).
- Seventy-three percent of winning companies gave employees extra time off in 2020 because of COVID-19 (compared to 67 percent of non-winners).
- Fifty-nine percent of winning companies increased health insurance coverage for employees and/or dependents as a result of COVID-19 (compared to 40 percent of non-winners).
- Eighty-seven percent of winning companies trained managers in best practices for managing staff remotely (compared to 77 percent of non-winners).
