FIRMS THAT WORK FOR MOTHERS

By Diane E. Lewis, Globe Staff

TUESDAY, September 12, 1995

In compiling its list, Working Mother examined pay scales, opportunities for women to advance, support for child care and the range and extent of family-friendly benefits available to employees.

''Our goal in creating this roster 10 years ago was to call attention to corporate role models so that others would follow in their footsteps,'' said Judsen Culbreth, editor-in-chief of the magazine.

Massachusetts companies on the list, which appears in the magazine's October issue, are Beth Israel Hospital, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Nynex Corp., John Hancock Financial Services in Boston, Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos Inc., all of Boston, as well as Cambridge-based Lotus Development Corp., Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. in Springfield and WearGuard Corp. in Norwell.

Nynex made the list for its child-care resource and referral program, flexible scheduling, 12-month leave to care for newborns, and a program that allows employees to set aside up to $4,800 a year in pre-tax dollars to cover dependent-care expenses. The company also holds senior management responsible for advancing women and minorities.

Beth Israel Hospital, the only hospital in the Northeast to receive the award, offers a subsidized on-site day-care center.

''A person making, say, $20,000 a year would be subsidized most heavily and would pay $59 a week for infant care compared with a fee of $234 per week for a person making $65,000 and above,'' said Maria Tarullo, director of human resources. The center has 110 slots for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

The hospital has also expanded its benefits to include a vacation week camp. For $20 a day, children 6 to 12 are entertained during spring break with various activities and field trips to museums and other events in Boston.

WearGuard Corp., the largest direct marketer of work clothes and rugged gear in the country, has its own accredited kindergarten, a swimming pool for older kids, a summer camp and school vacation programs for employees at its Norwell site.

When Working Mother's list first appeared in 1986, only 30 corporations were named and the benefits were scant compared with the work and family benefits available at those same firms today. Few offered vacation care for children, or even flexible scheduling. Today, more than 75 percent of the firms polled have onsite childcare or are affiliated with a center.

The magazine didn't rank the companies from best to worst but identified 10 as exceptionally progressive. They are:

Barnett Banks Inc., Jacksonville, Fla.; Fel-Pro Inc., Skokie, Ill.; Glaxo Wellcome Inc., Research Triangle Park, N.C.; International Business Machines Corp., Armonk, N.Y.; Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, N.J.; MBNA America Bank, N.A., Newark, Del.; NationsBank Corp., Charlotte, N.C.; Patagonia, Ventura, Calif.; Xerox Corp., Stamford, Conn.

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