Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ Update -- Feb. 9, 2001

Q1. You added some new questions this year to track employee use of certain programs like childcare and flex by job category — managers, exempts and nonexempts, part-timers, etc. My company doesn't track that information — or we keep track of usage in a different way. What should we do?
A. This is the first year we've asked for this information, and we recognize that while some companies do have it available, others don't.  If your company doesn't track employee usage in this way, here's what you can do: You can use reasonable estimates.  For example, it may be reasonable to assume that sub-groups participate according to their proportional representation in the total company.  Also, you can use the Comments section at the end of each part of the survey to provide the information you do have.  For instance, if you know overall usage, include that number.  If you track usage in some other way, let us know and tell us what you've got.  And if you have this information but your job categories are different from ours (for example, your nonexempt employees are salaried, not hourly), enter the information in the categories that match yours most closely and include a note in Comments.  There's no need to include voluminous backup material, however; a straightforward report on the data you have is more valuable to us.

Q2. How will my company be scored if I can't answer these questions just as you've asked them?
We definitely consider information in the Comments sections when we do our scoring — especially when we ask a question that we've never asked before. So please include as much detail as you can there about how your company tracks employee usage, if you can't enter it as answers to specific questions.  Your company may not track usage at all for a particular item. Please remember that this is a comprehensive assessment and no company is able to provide all levels of data.  No single question, or single set of questions, determines whether your company makes the 100 Best list or not.  No data or a poor showing in one area can be compensated by a very good showing in another area.  We look at overall performance on childcare, flex options, parental leave, work/life balance, total compensation and advancement options.

Q3. My company sees no business reason for tracking this information.  Why does Working Mother want to, and how can I make a case that we should track it?
Good question. We learned two things from last year's survey. We found that companies that track access to and use of work/life programs tended to have stronger scores in all the other areas — they created a solid slate of programs and followed through to make sure they got used.  But we also found that in many companies, a number of work/life programs were only available to some employees, often those working at higher levels in the organization. We're keenly interested in finding out which companies are making a strong effort to help all working mothers create work/life balance. We believe this is a fundamental question -- one that we have an opportunity, through you, of answering.  Finally, the better companies do a better job of managing their programs.  A key ingredient to better management is better measurement.

Q4. Why do you keep changing the survey every year?
The survey does change — because the workplace changes, and because our companies, the 100 Best, are continually raising the bar on work/life balance.  But we're sensitive to the fact that the 100 Best survey is a lot of work, and that changes in the survey make it even more arduous.  For 2002, we'll do two things that should help allay this problem.  We can't promise not to change the survey at all, but we'll keep at least 80 percent of the questions from this year.  Each year we improved the online process based on your input and we expect to make applying even easier in 2002.  Regardless of what changes may come in the future, we will make sure the survey is both objective and comprehensive.  This is the least we can do out of respect for winners on the 100 Best list.  They can hold their heads up high knowing they competed fairly against objective, comprehensive and consistent criteria.

Q5. Why can't government entities apply?
They can! This year, on a trial basis, we're opening the 100 Best list to government agencies and encouraging them to apply. Government agencies will be ranked along with other organizations, but if they're chosen as one of the 100 Best, we'll list them separately.

Q6. When is the Internet version of the 100 Best application going to be posted?  What about the new employee survey?
The Net version of the application is posted online now; click through to it from the Application button on the home page. The employee survey will be posted on Feb. 9.

Coming Next Week: Answers to the tricky technical questions you've been asking about the 100 Best application.

1/Q. How do I get started on the application?
A. Go to the eXpert Survey Systems, Inc. website at www.expertss.com/wmmportal2001/home.html and follow the onscreen instructions to register your company.

2/Q. Whom should I contact if I have a question about the application?
A. This year, applicants can e-mail questions to a single central contact, contributing editor Anne Finnigan, at workingmother@expertss.com. She'll respond by e-mail and will also post the most frequently asked questions and their answers on our Web site. We'll e-mail all applicants each time we update the FAQ -- so it's worthwhile checking the FAQ for updates before sending in your question.

3/Q. When is the completed application due?
A. All completed applications must be received no later than February 26. We will not accept late applications.

4/Q. When will we find out whether or not we made the list?
A. We'll notify companies by phone or mail by the end of August. We place an embargo on public dissemination of the information until our October issue goes on sale -- usually during the first week of September. The names of companies who do not make the list are not publicized and remain confidential.

5/Q. Will we receive feedback on our applications?
A. Yes. You'll receive feedback on how your company fared compared to other companies in the six major work/life categories by the end of September. We ask that companies who have not made the list wait until after they've received feedback before calling with questions. Working Mother will also return your completed application to you so that you can refer back to it when applying again next year.

6/Q. What work/life policies or practices does Working Mother consider to be the most important when scoring the applications and choosing the 100 Best?
A. At our worklife conference last fall, a number of attendees asked us about the "flavor of the month" (or year). The short answer is that we are not in the business of rewarding a particular type of program or benefit. We are looking for excellence in every one of the six categories: flexibility, advancement of women, child care, parental leaves, compensation and work/life.  However, certain factors are given more weight than others -- programs that benefit the broadest numbers of people, for example. We've also found that the best predictor of excellence in all categories is a strong score in the category of work/life balance. This category tells us how you track usage of work/life programs, whether you reward managers for putting them into practice, and whether you respond to employee applications or task forces in a constructive way. In other words, how do you follow through on work/life policies?  Companies do better on the application (and are more likely to make the 100 Best) when they fully answer questions about benefits. Companies do better when they include information on "follow-through" measures that help those benefits get used:  programs that educate workers about what's available and incentives and training that encourage managers to make sure benefits get used. Also important:  the substantive changes a company makes in response to employee surveys and task forces. Lastly, it's fair to say that a fabulous program by itself will not garner as many points as you might think UNLESS it is available to a significant number of employees. An onsite day care center, no matter how lavish, will not garner big points if it only serves a tiny number of overall employees.

7/Q. Do you only give points for new programs or benefits (introduced in the previous year)?
A. All programs and policies, old and new, are given equal consideration. The strongest scores are earned by companies that have a continuing commitment to family-friendly policies and work/life balance. The new programs do get highlighted in our story about each winner -- but don't earn higher scores.

8/Q. What's the role of the judges?
A. Our judges -- this year called our advisory panel -- play an oversight role. They're not involved in scoring applications or in evaluating the nitty-gritty details. They do review the final list, applying their broad expertise in business and in work-life issues to see if there are any companies that, for whatever reason, deserve a closer look before being included on the list.

9/Q. Why don't you include employee feedback?
A. We want to hear employees' voices -- we think it will add an enormous amount to the depth of our analysis and reporting. As a first step, this year, for the first time, we're asking companies to send us the results of their most recent employee surveys. For those who don't have a recent employee survey, we'll be putting a brief survey of our own up on the Web, and companies whose employees respond will also receive extra points.  Another new step we're taking is to ask the 100 Best companies to provide the magazine's writers with the name of a few employee representatives who can speak (and be quoted about) worklife practices.

10/Q. Couldn't you make the application shorter and less tedious?
A. We hear you! And we're trying. We analyzed the application and found several places where we can reduce the number of follow-up questions on a particular subject. In order to do that, we have asked companies to have a certifier (or oversight manager) verify the answers in a particular section by signing off on the data. That will cut down on the amount of corroborating data we relied on in the past as a way of making sure that information was correct.  But the WM 100 Best application will never be a breeze to fill out. It is long and thoroughgoing, which makes it tough on applicants -- but also makes it as objective as possible. And that objectivity is what gives the 100 Best honors their strength and credibility. Working Mother's 100 Best companies have gone to the trouble to detail programs and benefits that can be substantiated.

11/Q. My company is small -- is it worth applying for the 100 Best? Does the application have a "big-company bias" that will work against us?
A. Yes, it's definitely worth applying. Because the majority of working moms do indeed work for smaller companies (500 employees or fewer), we're very eager to hear from small companies. To encourage small companies to apply, this year, for the first time, we're going to name a "Small Business Honor Roll" to give special attention to smaller firms that are doing wonderful things with work/life issues regardless of their size. If you are a small company, and do not, for example, have some of the programs we ask about (such as the on-site daycare that some of the bigger firms do) you will not be penalized. In fact, it's often the case that smaller companies have fewer programs but wider coverage of their employees, and they often have greater flexibility as well -- two things that are important to work/life balance. We will take special efforts to consider your application based on your size.

12/Q. Do I really need to give a contact number for employees?
A. Yes. We think it's critical that 100 Best companies stand behind their benefits and programs by giving employees a phone number they can call with questions, problems, etc.

13/Q. What should I do if we just don't have the data that tracks employee usage of some programs, such as flextime, but we know anecdotally that people are using it?
A. This is problematic because the application depends on specific numbers in order to verify that programs exist and that employees really have access to them and are, indeed, using them. In other words, the numbers provide an important measure of objectivity. What's more, we've found that tracking usage is an important part of managing these programs -- and managing them is essential to their getting used. That's why companies that track usage of work/life programs do better on the application.

14/Q. Is the information that I provide on my application secure and confidential? What can I do about sensitive information that we want to have evaluated but don't want published -- is there a way to ensure that it's kept confidential?
A. Your completed application is stored on a server, in a secure facility, with password protection, backup, firewalls, virus protection, etc. In fact, you cannot access your own data after you submit it to eXpert Survey Systems, Inc. Your completed application cannot be opened or read by anyone else. The data that comprise the set of responses you submit are encrypted and require a key to decipher. That key is resident only in the office of eXpert Survey Systems, Inc. It is unique to each survey and client. Each key is used only after the response files are downloaded to the specific workstation where the processing is done.  If certain information you supply is especially sensitive or proprietary, and you want to make sure it is not published anywhere, please indicate this in the comments box for that section. We treat all information as confidential and as the property of Working Mother magazine.