Working Mother magazine lauds 3 firms

Three Massachusetts firms made a list of the best small-business workplaces for working mothers, Working Mother magazine said today.

The local firms are Alder Foods Inc., a Walpole supplier of military markets; Isis Maternity, a Needham company that sells products for expectant mothers, infants, and toddlers; and Safety Partners Inc. of Lexington, which helps small and mid-size life sciences companies implement laboratory health and safety programs for working with hazardous materials, Working Mother said.

Readers were allowed to nominate companies with between five and 100 workers, and the magazine's editors sifted through more than 300 entries and considered such factors as "creative family-friendly programs," work/life benefits, and programs to help women advance.

One company scored high for delivering catered dinners to the homes of employees with new babies; another rated kudos for treating the staff to "an all-day spa pampering" on Mother's Day.

Denise Aronson's 22-person Safety Partners was cited for matching employees to clients close to home to shorten commutes, and for allowing flex-time.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)