Seramount Names Merck As One of the 2021 Best Companies for Dads

Seramount (formerly Working Mother Media) revealed its fourth annual list of the 2021 Best Companies for Dads today. This year’s winners are focusing on inclusive benefits for families, including paid gender-neutral parental leave, backup childcare, and how these organizations supported their employees throughout COVID-19. Merck was among the top companies that earned a spot on this year’s list.

“Dads continue to be outspoken about wanting to be equal partners when it comes to parenting responsibilities and needing the flexibility from their employer in order to do so,” says Subha V. Barry, President of Seramount. “Our Best Companies for Dads are listening to their employees. They’ve made their leave policies more inclusive and have increased the support offered to families during a time when parents and caregivers are constantly juggling home and work life.”

The top 10 companies for 2021 (in alphabetical order) are as follows: Bank of America, Citrix, Deloitte LLP, Ernst & Young LLP, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Goldman Sachs & Co., IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, and Moody’s.

Key findings from the 2021 Best Companies for Dads:

● 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 63 percent of winners a year ago. The remaining 12 percent offer fully paid paternity leave.

● Seventy-five percent of winning companies offer phase-back programs after leave (compared to 38 percent of last year’s winners).

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 this year’s Best Companies for Dads pivoted to help working families.

● Seventy-five percent of Best Companies for Dads gave employees extra time off in 2020 because of COVID-19.

● Sixty percent of Best Companies for Dads increased health insurance coverage for employees and/or dependents as a result of COVID-19.

● Eighty-two percent of Best Companies for Dads increased mental-health coverage for employees and/or dependents as a result of COVID-19.

● Sixty-two percent of Best Companies for Dads increased childcare reimbursements because of COVID-19.

ABOUT THE METHODOLOGY

The 2021 Seramount Best Companies for Dads application includes more than 400 questions related to leave policies, benefits, childcare, flexibility, employee-resource groups for men and working parents, and more. It surveys the availability and usage of these programs, as well as the accountability of the many managers who oversee them. This year we added specific questions about how organizations helped parents and caretakers during COVID-19. All applicants receive feedback showing how they compare with other applicants; however, the names of applicants that do not make the list are kept confidential. Company profiles and data come from submitted applications and reflect 2020 data.

ABOUT SERAMOUNT

Seramount, now part of EAB, is a strategic professional services firm dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Over four decades, partnering with some of the most iconic companies in the world, we’ve built a deep, data-driven understanding of the employee experience, which lays the groundwork for everything we do. Our comprehensive DE&I toolkit includes actionable research and insights, membership, strategic guidance and consulting, and inspiring events, meeting each client’s needs no matter where they are on their journey and guiding them along an ever-changing landscape. Seramount has empowered over 450 organizations to realize the business benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Learn more at seramount.com.