Scripps Named 100 Best Company by Working Mother Magazine

San Diego – Working Mother magazine has named Scripps Health to its 2011 list of America’s 100 Best Companies for its family-friendly policies, which include diverse benefits and work/life balance. The selection will be published in the October issue of Working Mother.

Scripps, which has been included on the Working Mother list for seven consecutive years, was listed as No. 11 in this year’s rankings. This accolade comes on the heels of the Sept. 7 announcement by AARP, which ranked Scripps Health as the No. 1 company in the U.S. for workers over age 50.

“This has been a great week for us at Scripps: first we were singled out by AARP as the top employer in the country for workers over 50, and now we have been recognized as a ‘Best Company’ by Working Mother for our family-friendly programs and policies,” said Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of Scripps Health. “By listening to and accommodating the needs of our staff, we ultimately are able to improve the quality of patient care and also make Scripps an award-winning place to work.”

Working Mother cited Scripps for establishing a work environment that is attractive to all women, particularly working mothers, with policies such as job sharing, child care, telecommuting and flextime. Scripps allows its female workforce — 74 percent of its employee population — to adjust job responsibilities as family needs change.

One Scripps staffer who has benefited from the wide variety of benefits is Sandra Bilbrey, RN. After raising seven children of their own, Bilbrey and her husband decided to adopt four sisters — Ana (15), Karla (13), Vanessa (10), and Yessenia (9) — after seeing them photographed with San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers in a calendar put out by San Diego County Adoptions.

Early in the 18-month adoption process, Sandra shared her decision to adopt the girls with her supervisors and colleagues at Scripps Health and was thrilled with the abundance of support she received. The organization offered an array of services including a $2,000 adoption credit, extended medical leave, and an adoption support group. But most importantly, the 25-year employee was given the flexibility she needed with her job as the director of the Scripps alcohol and drug treatment program to juggle her new family commitments.

“Everyone I worked with at Scripps was incredibly supportive and excited for us. It felt like Scripps had adopted the girls too,” said Bilbrey.

The Working Mother 100 Best Companies are judged on answers to 650 questions, including data on the access and usage of flexible work arrangements, parental leave, childcare, health and wellness support and the advancement of women to all levels of management.

“With more than 169,000 women hired last year, this year’s 100 Best Companies make up an impressive group of winners who offer family-driven programs and benefits that far outpace their competitors,” said Carol Evans, president, Working Mother Media. “This year’s winning companies are proof that success lies in the numbers — 97 percent of companies are offering prenatal education, weight-loss, wellness, and stress-reduction programs to employees at every level.”

Vic Buzachero, corporate senior vice president of innovation, human resources and performance management, explains Scripps considers the full life cycle of employees and solicits input before designing benefits packages.

“We consider Scripps to be a career destination company therefore we design our human resources programs to appeal to all people to help them through the various cycles of their lives and careers,” said Buzachero.

A satisfied workforce also has improved Scripps’ employee retention. In 2010, The California turnover rate for part-time and full-time employees was 8.9 percent. And for Scripps the same turnover rate was at 7.4 percent.

Scripps Health will be celebrated at this year’s Working Mother 100 Best Companies WorkLife Congress October 18-20, 2011, in New York City.

The 100 Best Companies, as well as national comparisons, are profiled in the October issue of Working Mother and at workingmother.com/best-companies. Working Mother is a division of Bonnier Corporation.