[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 138 (Monday, September 30, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S12042]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              DELAWARE COMPANY HONORED AS FAMILY-FRIENDLY

 Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, in this time of two worker 
households, working parents are increasingly faced with the difficult 
task of balancing work and family.
  Every day in this country, families must find a way to meet the 
challenges that await them at home after a long day on the job. Some 
days it seems impossible to maintain a career while trying to figure 
out a way to get the shopping done, put dinner on the table and pick up 
the kids at soccer practice.
  That is why today, Mr. President, I am proud to stand here to 
announce that Delaware companies are taking the lead and making it 
easier for working parents to balance their careers and families.
  One particular company, MBNA America, which is based in Wilmington, 
DE, was recently honored as one of the top 10 family-friendly companies 
by Working Mother magazine.
  This is the second straight year that MBNA has been named as one of 
the top ten companies for working mothers and the fifth straight year 
that it has been named in the top 100.
  Also, in the September 16 issue of Business Week, MBNA was named as 
one of the top 10 businesses in terms of their work and family 
strategies. This is the first time that Business Week has rated 
companies for their family friendly practices, and it shows that 
businesses are most successful if they take their work and family 
strategies seriously.
  Speaking about MBNA, Business Week stated that ``the bank won the 
highest grades from employees, who cited strong programs and job 
flexibility.''
  MBNA is to be commended for instituting policies and programs that 
are sensitive to the realities of two income families.
  For example, MBNA offers three on-site day care centers that serve 
MBNA employees. I have had the opportunity to visit one of the two 
centers that are in Delaware, and I cannot stress enough what a benefit 
it is for workers to be able to take advantage of these day care 
centers. In Delaware, these centers give the parents of around 400 
children the peace of mind that their child is in good hands.
  Also last year, 109 men and 264 women took advantage of childbirth 
leave of absences that averaged 13 weeks. This is a wonderful 
opportunity for parents to be there for those precious first weeks of 
their child's life.
  Another important benefit that is offered by the company is adoption 
assistance of up to $5,000. This allows employees to provide a stable 
home and family to a child who needs that love and stability so badly. 
Just another way that companies can help build strong families.
  Employees can take advantage of $849,000 in company-sponsored college 
scholarships that allow those who wish to better themselves the 
opportunity to do so. After all, education is the greatest investment 
this country can make.
  Working Mother magazine also applauded MBNA for having flexible work 
hours by utilizing job-sharing strategies and compressed work weeks.
  And, the study showed that women account for a high percentage of 
executive positions at MBNA. Women make up 39 percent of vice 
presidents at MBNA and 16 percent of all senior executives are women.
  Besides MBNA, two other Delaware companies were honored recently as 
family friendly companies. DuPont and DuPont-Merck Pharmaceutical were 
named as two of the top one hundred companies by Working Mother 
magazine for their leadership in creating job strategies that are 
sensitive toward families. DuPont was also named in Business Week's 
top10n list, and other companies with facilities in Delaware, such as 
Hewlett-Packard and Nations Bank, have been praised for their family 
oriented policies.
  Mr. President, these work strategies that take into account everyday 
family life do not just benefit the employees, but also the employer. 
There is little doubt that recruitment, retention, morale, and 
therefore productivity all increase when companies implement family-
friendly policies.
  I am proud that MBNA and other Delaware companies have emerged as 
leaders in creating family work strategies, and I hope that this trend 
continues throughout Delaware and throughout the country. 

                          ____________________