ATL:
Working Mother just released its annual list of the top 100 companies to work for....
What is the magazine looking for? Here’s the explanation from their methodology section:
Eight areas are scored: workforce profile; benefits; women’s issues and advancement; child care; flexible work; paid time off and leaves; company culture; and work-life programs. An essay regarding best practices to support working mothers is also evaluated…
Working Mother considers not only the programs, benefits and opportunities offered by companies but also recently settled, decided or still-pending gender discrimination lawsuits.
Four law firms made the list:
I worked at one of the 4, albeit many many years ago. The place's culture must have changed a lot, because back in my day it was a pretty miserable place to work. There was tremendous pressure to bill hours, including monthly notices of how you stacked up against your peers. There was a 3000 hour club. I billed 2400 hours one year and was told that I had done "okay." Partners thought nothing of dumping projects on your desk at 4:30 pm on Friday with an expectation that you'd have a finished product by 9 am Monday, which would then sit on their desk for a couple of weeks collecting dust. Senior associates who were bucking for partner often went without vacations the last few years before they came up for promotion. I liked (most of) the people with and for whom I worked. I had some fascinating projects and some interesting clients. I learned a lot. And I was miserable most of the time because of the impossibility of having a decent work-life balance.
