(November 16, 2018, Newark, NJ) -- Working Mother revealed its first list of “Best Companies for Dads, Best Companies for Dads” celebrating organizations that lead in such areas as paternity leave, phase-back programs, telecommuting opportunities, and flexible schedules, and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ) was one of the 35 organizations honored on this year’s list.

“Millennial dads want to be very involved in raising their children and to do that, they need support from their employers,” says Meredith Bodgas, Editor-in-Chief of Working Mother. “These trend-setting companies are helping erase the stigma attached to men taking off time to bond with their new babies, utilizing telecommuting opportunities or flexible schedules in order to be more involved on the homefront. Not only does this help dads, it helps moms succeed both at home and at work, and puts them on more equal footing.”

“Horizon wants our employees to achieve a work-life balance that helps them be a success both on the job and at home as a parent,” said Alison Banks-Moore, Chief Diversity Officer at Horizon BCBSNJ. “We’re committed to giving working dads the flexibility they need to support their families in every way, and we’re gratified that Working Mother has singled out Horizon for our efforts.” Horizon BCBSNJ supports working parents through a parental leave policy that affords them up to 6 weeks of full paid time off for bonding with a newly born or adopted child; an on-site childcare center; a flexible work schedule; an on-site health center, lab facility, pharmacy and fitness center and other benefits.

“In order for companies to advance working mothers, they must support their working fathers,” said Subha V. Barry, President of Working Mother Media. “The level of enthusiasm we received from our founding sponsors was through the roof and speaks volumes about how organizations are recognizing the importance of supporting both working moms and dads. The Working Mother Best Companies for Dads strive to create a supportive environment for all working parents and we hope other organizations take notice and follow their lead.”

Key Facts About the 2018 “Best Companies for Dads” list:

• 100 percent offer fully paid paternity leave vs. 29 percent nationally, with the average amount offered nine weeks. The average amount taken was seven weeks.
• 100 percent offer fully paid adoption leave vs. 28 percent nationally, with the average amount offered 10 weeks. The average amount taken was nine weeks.
• 86 percent offer financial benefits for in-vitro fertilization and 49 percent for use of a surrogate.
• 85 percent of men in these companies use flexible schedules.
• 82 percent of men in these companies telecommute at least some of the time.

About Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the state's oldest and largest health insurer is a tax-paying, not-for-profit health service corporation, providing a wide array of medical, dental, vision and prescription insurance products and services. Horizon BCBSNJ is leading the transformation of health care in New Jersey by working with doctors and hospitals to deliver innovative, patient-centered programs that reward the quality, not quantity, of care patients receive. Learn more at HorizonBlue.com. Horizon BCBSNJ is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association serving more than 3.8 million members.

About the Methodology:

To determine this list, the Working Mother Research Institute examined answers to questions related to dads submitted to the application for Working Mother’s annual 100 Best Companies. Those questions include paternity leave, adoption leave, surrogacy and fertility benefits, phase-back programs, childcare options, telecommuting opportunities, and employee-resource groups for men. The responses were then assigned points, with the 35 organizations listed here receiving the highest number of points.

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