2 Metro Companies Best for Working Moms

ATLANTA - It can be a difficult job to be a working girl and a mother.

But at least two Metro Atlanta companies have made it a bit easier. They have been recognized as two of the best places to work for mothers.

Jen King is not much different than any other mom who works fulltime.

What makes her situation exceptional is where she works.

"I honestly couldn't ask for a better place to work," said working mom Jen King.

King is one of the more than 7,000 employees of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. And like Jen, Working Mother Magazine could not think of a better place to work. The Atlanta hospital was recently chosen as one of the best places to work in the country for working mothers. More than 80 percent of Children's workforce is women, more than 70 percent are mothers.

"We think if we take away the stress of all the things you have to do as a mom, if we take care of that then our employees can be able to focus on the children we serve and we think that there's a lot of things we can do to make it easier for them and that's what we try and do," said Linda Matzigkeit.

And one of the ways they accommodate their mothers is giving them access to high quality childcare nearby. Children's subsidizes the cost and even provides a backup option.

"If Emory's daycare is closed or if something comes up and she's sick, I can call a service at the last second. They have someone come to my house and take care of my daughter - they've been prescreened and trained and at a really reasonable rate," said King.

For the children that come to the Clifton School, it doesn't mean much more than a time of leaing and play. But for the parents of those children, who are also employees, it means so much more.

"It's easier to focus on work, it's easier to get things done during the day and children realize it makes for more productive employees," said King.

Working mothers at Children's are recognized monthly in the form of spa trips and meal preparation gift certificates. But probably even more important to mothers is the support on a more basic level. Karla Mavity is Childrens' mother of the year. When she arrived at Children's 26 years ago, she didn't have children, but as her situation changed. Her bosses at Children's were flexible.

"You want to be where your children are and if that requires talking to your supervisor, that's an incredible benefit for many working mothers that our institution allows," said Registered Nurse Karla Mavity.

King says being a working mother is not her ideal situation, but Children's makes working work.

"In some cases it would be nice to be able to stay home with our babies and spend time with them. I think, honestly, I think having access to so many conveniences that Children's provides makes it easier to keep working," said King.

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta wasn't the only metro company to make the list - Tuer Broadcasting Systems also did. The magzine cited its generous time off policy.

For more on Working Mother magazine's listing click here!