Working Mother Names AEP One of the Best Places to Work

Working Mother magazine has selected American Electric Power (AEP) as one of the 100 best companies for working mothers. AEP is the only electric utility and the only Ohio-based company on the 2009 list.

The October issue of the magazine notes that AEP “has been justly praised for its efforts to recruit, train and promote women: While just 18% of its employees are female, so are 36% of its executives—no small feat in this historically male field.”

Among the working mother–friendly benefits that won the utility a place on the much-watched list were “offering full-time child-care discounts at a center near its Columbus, OH, headquarters, installing lactation rooms in customer solutions centers, appointing eight wellness coordinators to promote employee health and adding remote access to make telecommuting easier. Mothers who are in customer service or at power plants may request four-day compressed or part-time schedules or work from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. so they can make it home to spend time with their kids after school.”

This is the fifth time in eight years that AEP has made the list. An AEP release notes that “Working Mother also has selected AEP as one of the best companies for multicultural women the past four years.”

Sources: Working Mother, AEP