9.25.2007 - 09:21pm ET

(CSRwire) ABBOTT PARK, IL - September 25, 2007 - After the birth of her first child, Christine Cavallaro knew something had to change. Lucky for her, it didn't have to be her job. Cavallaro approached her manager and worked out a part-time schedule. She has since had a second child and continues to work part time, now with a job-share partner. Her career and family are thriving.

Cavallaro is one of hundreds of working moms at Abbott who find the flexibility they need to excel at work and at home. This commitment to flexibility is one of the many reasons Abbott, the global health care company, was again named to Working Mother magazine's list of "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers." This marks the seventh consecutive year that Abbott has been honored on this list, available today in the October issue of Working Mother magazine.

"At Abbott, I feel like I'm not forced to choose between two things that are very important to me. I'm able to have a rewarding and satisfying career and I absolutely value the opportunity to stay very closely connected to my kids' schools and extracurricular activities," said Cavallaro. Cavallaro has been at Abbott for 10 years and is currently manager of corporate brand communications, a room mom and PTO volunteer.

Cavallaro, who is also a member of the company's Part-Time Network, is one of more than 200 Abbott employees who job share. Only 20 percent of large companies in the United States offer job-sharing opportunities.

"Every year our winning companies, like Abbott, raise the bar for what it means to be an employer of choice for working families," said Carol Evans, CEO and president, Working Mother Media. "Abbott's supportive culture makes a huge difference to employees who want to be great moms and great workers."

Suzanne Riss, the editor-in-chief of Working Mother magazine, said, "As a working mother myself, I commend Abbott for conceiving and effectively implementing programs and benefits that offer an inspiring paradigm for the rest of corporate America - it is possible to be both family-friendly and financially successful."

"Being progressive and innovative is critical to our continued success as a company — not just in the products that we make but in the culture we create and maintain," said Miles D. White, chairman and chief executive officer, Abbott. "We are proud to be honored once again for the steps we take to make Abbott a great place to work for working moms, and for all of our employees around the world."

Helping Mothers Meet Special Family Needs

In addition to continuing to recognize the importance of flexibility in the workplace, Working Mother spotlighted companies on this year's list for their efforts to help parents with special family needs.

Ann Tovcimak, a research pharmacologist at Abbott and mother of Rory, age 4, who has mild-to-moderate hearing loss, is pleased with the attention her son receives at Abbott's Early Discoveries on-site child care facility – one of the nation's five largest child care centers. Rory receives weekly speech therapy, auditory therapy and sign language lessons, and a lot of support from the center's staff.

About Working Mother's 100 Best List

Abbott was selected for the 2007 Working Mother "100 Best Companies" based on an extensive application of 575 questions. Seven areas were measured and scored: workforce profile, compensation, child care, flexibility, time off and leaves, family-friendly programs and company culture. The application also evaluates the usage, availability and tracking of programs, as well as the accountability of managers who oversee them. For this year's "100 Best" selection, particular weight was given to flexibility and family-friendly policies.

For more information on the 2007 Working Mother "100 Best Companies" and for a complete list of winners, visit www.workingmother.com.

About Abbott

In addition to being included on Working Mother magazine's "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" for seven years, Abbott has been included on FORTUNE and DiversityInc magazines' lists of the top companies for diversity for many years, and has been recognized by Science and The Scientist magazines as a top employer for scientists. The company has been named one of the "50 Best Places to Launch a Career" by BusinessWeek and was included in the 2008 edition of the Princeton Review's Best Entry-Level Jobs. FORTUNE also has named Abbott as one of "America's Most Admired Companies" every year since the list's inception in 1983.

Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs 65,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.

Abbott's news releases and other information are available on the company's Web site at www.abbott.com.

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