OREANDA-NEWS. May 23, 2014. Most working moms can tell you that there isn’t one formula for balancing meetings with your team and your child’s first school play.

But Verizon is well recognized as one of the top employers that are making it easier for women to achieve this coveted balance, whether they are an entry-level employee just starting out or are leading senior executive teams. That’s why we’re proud to be named to the Working Mother Magazine 2014 Best Companies for Multicultural Women list.

This is the ninth  year in a row Verizon has been included in this elite group, thanks to our strong representation of multicultural women and the variety of ways we help our employees balance the demands of their lives outside the company with those at work. 

“My team is virtual,” says Elissa Guerra, a manager in Verizon’s compensation department. “I work with people all over the world and can connect with them from anywhere.” Guerra takes advantage of one of Verizon’s several flexible work arrangement programs to help balance her full-time job at Verizon with her full-time job as the mother of two sons, ages 5 and 8.

“The ability to work from home a couple of times a week enables me to have a lot more flexibility in taking my kids to their events after work,” she says.

Working parents at Verizon have many options for finding their optimal arrangement between work and home. One popular choice for employees is the compressed work week, which consists of a traditional 40-hour week, but in four 10-hour days. Others opt to work part time as part of a job-share where two employees share hours and responsibilities for one full-time position.

The Working Mother Best Companies for Multicultural Women were selected based on their answers to an extensive questionnaire covering representation; hiring, attrition and promotion rates; recruitment, retention and advancement programs; and company culture. 

Verizon’s inclusive culture is something that doesn’t go unnoticed by employees. “It’s such a diverse environment where everyone is open and welcoming,” says Guerra. “And being such a big company, there are so many different roles you can be in.”

Verizon was also recently named one of the Top 50 Companies for Executive Women by the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), is one of the Working Mother Magazine’s 100 Best Companies for Women, and was named one of the DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity for the 14th straight year.