The Working Mother 2018 list is out! The 100 Best Companies roster is hot off the presses -- and we're proud to say our clients are all over it. Why all the fuss? Three letters: ROI. Winners have family friendly benefits and employees gravitate to employers that are family friendly. Offer lots of great benefits, get the attention of valuable employees, and voila -- instant attraction.

Need more?

There's also a little thing called retention. "Going from being at home full time with a newborn to 40 or more hours of work is impossible to fathom," Amy Beacom, Ed.D., founder and CEO of the Center for Parental Leave Leadership, told Working Mother and that magic of return-to-work programs.

"As soon as there's a phase-back option, that desire to quit goes away." What else we learned from this year's winners:

The best believe in child care

91% of the top 100 offer some kind of child care. Because school vacations happen, 100% of the top ten offer school holiday child care.

Flexibility is not optional

100% of the winners offer a formal or informal flex program. The same number (as in, all!) offer telecommuting.

Fathers matter, too

Sure, the list is called Working Mother. But today's parents are partners, a recognition reflected by the data that features dads' stories, too.

Careers get support

Jobs are well and good, but the real test of parent friendliness is the ability to build a career after baby. And Working Mother winners have very deliberate career tracks that include things like formal sponsorship, leadership development, and mentoring.

Working Mother's enthusiasm is unequivocal. "This year's winners, representing 1.8 million employees, demonstrate what makes an organization great for working moms," wrote Working Mother.

"All the Working Mother 100 Best Companies have exceptional benefits and support systems." Besides all that, "They're pretty awesome." There's one more thing. Not coincidentally, Working Mother 2018 honorees aren't just list makers -- they're also the organizational world's biggest success stories, proof that family friendly is not just a secret ingredient -- but an essential one.

Thanks for setting the bar, everyone.

And an extra "woo hoo!" to our clients...and to Unilever, the company that claimed the top-spot a Number 1. Congratulations!