Vermont Does Right By Women

By Angela Smith

We know that Vermont is a great place to live and work. The state receives numerous accolades each year. Whether it’s being one of the healthiest or most peaceful places to live or having great skiing or great beer, Vermonters have plenty of reasons to be happy and healthy.

And we can now add another accolade to this list: WalletHub recently released a study which names Vermont the best state for working moms. The study included an analysis of 12 key metrics, including accessibility and affordability of reliable childcare, workplace parental leave policies, the ratio of females to males in executive positions, and gender pay gap data.

According to the Department of Labor, 70% of women with children under the age of 18 are in the US workforce, and working mothers are the sole or primary breadwinner in 40% of households. Yet, women still face a 21% pay gap, a higher unemployment rate, and outdated workplace policies that make juggling home and family a struggle (http://www.dol.gov/wb/Infographic_on_working_mothers.pdf).

Vermont is poised as a leader in helping to correct these imbalances. According to WalletHub’s study, our state has the lowest gender pay gap, and ranks fourth for having the highest female to male executive ratio. Additionally, Vermont has an array of family-friendly workplace policies to support working mothers (and all parents). As ofJanuary 2014, Vermont employees have the right to request flexible work arrangements, and their employers are required to consider the requests, leading to meaningful discussions about workplace flexibility without fear of reprisal. In 2013, the Vermont legislature strengthened the provisions of the state’s Equal Pay Act, helping to pave the way to equal pay for equal work. And the lives of working moms are made a bit easier because of Vermont’s Short Term Family Leave, lactation support and fair treatment for pregnant workers policies.

SunCommon is proud to provide a joyful and accommodating workplace for our employees who also balance parenthood. We start with a generous health insurance benefit, so parents don’t have to worry about whether or not their child can access healthcare, and we provide paid time off for employees to attend to family members who are ill or need care. Our workplace is flexible, and employees can arrange flexible schedules with their supervisors that work for their families and our business. We pay a competitive wage, one that is blind to an employee’s gender or parental status, and focuses solely on the skills and experience they bring to our team and the role they’ll be playing on that team.

Here are few statistics on our workforce that underscore our commitment to gender equality and supporting our working mothers:

• Out of our 67 employees, 30 are women. Of those 30 women, 13 are mothers.
• The average salary in our company is $41,091. The average salary for our female employees is $41,678. And the average salary for our 13 working mothers is $48,773.
• Our leadership team is comprised of 11 management-level employees, 5 of whom are women, and 4 of whom are mothers.

Why do we do this? Because it makes business sense. Our business, a Vermont certified Benefit Corporation,is growing and thriving and it’s because of the talents, skills and commitment of all our employees. We encourage our fellow Vermont businesses to explore these workplace policies and make use of Vermont’s valuable resources like Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility and our fellow Benefit Corporations statewide. It’s not only the right thing to do, but we can use our businesses as a vehicle for positive change.

Vermont Does Right By Women!