AstraZeneca Among Working Mother Magazine's 2009 'Best Companies'

WILMINGTON, Del., Sept. 22  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) has been recognized as one of the 2009 Working Mother 100 Best Companies for the eighth consecutive year. This award acknowledges the company's commitment to family-friendly policies that support employee retention, employee engagement, and career advancement.

This year, the company was recognized specifically for its best practices in parental leave and training and development. AstraZeneca provides each eligible employee with up to 52 weeks of combined paid and unpaid leave, 26 weeks of which is job guaranteed, to care for their newborn child, adopted or foster child. The company also offers paid adoption leave.

In training and development, the company expanded the IDEA program, which provides short term development opportunities to enable individuals to develop new skills and explore alternate careers through work experience in different areas within the company while staying in their current position. The program matches employees who want to learn and have skills to share with host project managers.

"AstraZeneca strives to create an inclusive culture of innovation and opportunity to help employees manage the growing demands of work and personal life," says Marta Brito Perez, Vice President, Human Resources, North America & Global Marketing. "This recognition from Working Mother magazine underscores our commitment to the health and welfare of our employees."

  Additional programs the company offers include:
  --  Childcare and eldercare resources, services and discounts
  --  Flexible work arrangements
  --  Work/life seminars
  --  Employee Assistance Program providing confidential, personal support,
      resources and referrals to help solve a wide range of personal and
      work-related challenges
  --  Assistance in selecting, financing and applying to college through
      seminars, individual sessions with a specialist and access to online
      resources

  --  Programs to encourage healthy lifestyles



Workplace support is also provided to employees through diverse employee network groups, which bring together employees with similar interests and experiences and provide opportunities for networking, professional development and community outreach. For example, the company offers employee network groups for women, working parents, elder caregivers, mature workers and employees who care for people with disabilities.

This year, Working Mother magazine selected companies based on an extensive application with more than 500 questions on topics such as workforce, compensation, child care, flexibility programs, leave policies and more, with particular weight was given to benefits, flexibility and parental leave.  Profiles of the 100 Best Companies, as well as national comparisons, are in the October issue of Working Mother and at workingmother.com.

About Working Mother Media

Celebrating 30 years, Working Mother magazine reaches 2 million readers and is the only national magazine for career-committed mothers while workingmother.com brings to the Web a broad range of insight and solutions served to working mothers every day. Working Mother's 24-year signature research initiative, Working Mother 100 Best Companies, is the most important benchmark for work-life practices in corporate America. With offices in New York and Washington, D.C., Working Mother Media, a division of Bonnier Corp., includes the National Association for Female Executives, Diversity Best Practices, the WorkLife Congress and the Multicultural Women's Conference and Town Halls. Working Mother Media's mission is to champion cultural change.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is engaged in the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of meaningful prescription medicines and in the supply of  healthcare services. AstraZeneca is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies with global healthcare sales of $ 31.6 billion and is a leader in gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infectious disease medicines.  In the United States, AstraZeneca is a $13.5 billion dollar healthcare business.

For more information about AstraZeneca in the US or our AZ&Me(TM)Prescription Savings programs, please visit: http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/. 

DATASOURCE: AstraZeneca



CONTACT:  Rebecca Everitt of AstraZeneca, [phone]



Web Site:  http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/ 

Copyright