The Principal Financial Group Recognized as "Best Workplace" for Working Moms, Latinas and Those Over 50
Oct. 4, 2005 (Des Moines, Iowa) — The Principal Financial Group®, the nation's
"We're honored to once again be acknowledged by these prominent and reputable organizations that recognize and value diversity in the workplace as much as we do," said Jim DeVries, senior vice president - Human Resources, the Principal Financial Group. "Creating a company that provides the necessary resources and flexibility for people to feel comfortable and be successful results in a workplace of diverse ideas, points of view and backgrounds. Ultimately, this means we're able to provide better service to our customers and greater value to our shareholders."
In addition to these recognitions, the Principal Financial Group was also recently recognized as number 37 on Computerworld 's "100 Best Places to Work in IT" survey. And in January, The Principal climbed to number 61 on FORTUNE's annual "100 Best Companies to Work For" list. It's the company's third consecutive year on FORTUNE's prestigious list.
About Working Mother "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers"
To apply for the Working Mother 100 Best, The Principal® provided Working Mother magazine with detailed information on eight areas of work/life focus including: childcare, culture, flexibility, parental leave, women's advancement, total compensation, work/life culture and family-friendly programs. The Principal completed a 550-question application, which checked the availability, tracking and usage of programs to support working mothers, the accountability of managers to implement programs and the successful advancement of women into top paying jobs, board positions and management ranks. The Principal was also required to submit benefits handbooks and results of employee surveys.
"Nearly 70 percent of employees of the Principal Financial Group are women, making this recognition especially meaningful to us," noted DeVries. "For all working parents, flexibility is a key part of work/life balance. For many, their formal workday may provide the only 'me time' they have. That's why The Principal provides benefits and amenities like onsite wellness facilities, an employee financial center and paid volunteer time off so employees can take care of themselves, allowing for more focused time with their families when they leave work."
The complete list of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers can be found at www.workingmother.com.
About LATINA Style "50 Best Companies for Latinas to Work in the United States"
Mentoring programs, leadership training/career counseling programs and flexibility are all drivers for the Principal Financial Group making the LATINA Style workplace list.
"We're very proud of our culture of excellence and inclusion, which is validated by these recent recognitions as well as our ongoing success as an organization," noted DeVries. "The Principal will continue to foster programs that support the growth and development of our employees."
The LATINA Style 50 is the only national effort to evaluate corporate America's responsiveness to the needs and aspirations of Latinas in the workplace. Companies responding to LATINA Style's survey were evaluated on the issues identified by the magazine's readers as most important to them in the workplace. The primary areas of evaluation included the number of Latina executives, the number of Latina and Latino executives on the company's Board of Directors, mentoring programs, educational opportunities and benefits. The Principal has been included on this list all nine years the magazine has compiled it.
LATINA Style highlighted the 50 Best Companies in its July/August issue.
About AARP - Best Employers for Workers Over 50
For the forth consecutive year, The Principal has been recognized by AARP for its outstanding efforts to give employees age 50 and older training opportunities to upgrade their skills. AARP also noted the flexible programs The Principal avails to support employees' work/life balance.
AARP's criteria include recruiting practices (including former or retired employees), continuing opportunities for advancement, flexible work schedules and benefits for current or retired employees.
"We are fortunate to have a diverse company that includes a significant number of experienced employees," noted DeVries. "As the demographics of our workforce change, part of our focus is on identifying and implementing benefits and amenities that accommodate the wide-range of needs these employees have. For instance, offering working caregiver leave, which enables employees to work part-time while caring for a family member, while the employee still receives full benefits. This program provides benefit not only to new parents, but also older workers who may need time to take care of a spouse or aging parent."
About The Principal Financial Group
The Principal Financial Group®
(The Principal®)1
is a leader in offering businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement and investment services, life and health insurance and banking through its diverse family of financial services companies. A member of the Fortune 500, the Principal Financial Group has $187.8 billion in assets under management2 and serves some 15.2 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Principal Financial Group, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG. For more information, visit www.principal.com.
1) "The Principal Financial Group" and "The Principal" are registered service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a member of the Principal Financial Group.
2) As of June 30, 2005.
