Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) has been named one of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers by Working Mother magazine for the second consecutive year.

Working Mother selected 2000's 100 Best Companies based on criteria such as child care, leave for new parents, flexible work arrangements, work/life benefits such as elder care, and opportunities for women to advance. Editors looked at a range of supportive company offerings, including health insurance premiums, availability of time off to care for family, mentoring programs and extras such as on-site gyms and other conveniences.

"We are honored to be recognized by Working Mother magazine for our efforts to provide an atmosphere that encourages our employees to balance their professional and personal lives, and to have created a family-friendly workplace that supports our associates," said Lisa M. Weber, MetLife’s Executive Vice President of Human Resources.

MetLife policies and programs provide employees with a variety of work arrangements available at all locations, including flexible hours, part time work, compressed work weeks and telecommuting options, depending on business conditions.

"When Working Mother magazine started the '100 Best' list in 1986, editors were hard-pressed to find more than 30 companies that qualified," says Lisa Benenson, Editor In Chief, Working Mother magazine, explaining how this year’s honorees for the annual list were chosen. "This year, however, the competition was tougher than ever before. It was not enough for a company to build a small childcare center at the home office; to make this year’s list, the company had to demonstrate that a significant number of employees company-wide were receiving benefits. In other words, businesses had to be more creative and proactive in finding ways to accommodate their employees’ work/life needs. For this, their commitment and ingenuity is to be commended."

A complete report of Working Mother’s 2000 "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" can be found in the October issue of Working Mother and on its Web site www.workingmother.com.

Working Mother Magazine, founded in 1979, reaches more than 3 million readers each month, and is the only national business magazine written for executive and entrepreneurial mothers. It is part of Working Woman Network, a leading global resource for businesswomen in today’s digital economy, which also includes Working Woman magazine, the National Association for Female Executives, a conference division, Businesswomen’s Research Institute and The Business Women’s Network. In August 2000, WWN launched WorkingWoman.com, the first online resource center exclusively for women in business.

Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), is a leading provider of insurance and other financial services to individual and group customers. The MetLife companies serve approximately nine million individual households in the U.S. and companies and institutions with 33 million employees and members. MetLife also has international insurance operations in 11 countries. For more information about MetLife, please visit the company's Web site at www.metlife.com.

MetLife Foundation

MetLife Foundation

MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 by MetLife to carry on its long-standing tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. MetLife and MetLife Foundation have invested more than $15 million for Alzheimer's research and public information programs, including $10 million through the Awards for Medical Research program. Working with the Alzheimer's Association, the Foundation has supported caregiving videos, resources for the Hispanic community and the Safe Return identification program, which addresses the problem of senior wandering. The Foundation has expanded its focus on aging issues, including helping people remain physically and mentally fit and remaining engaged in the community. It also supports programs addressing issues of caregiving, intergenerational activities and volunteer opportunities. Grants support health, education, and civic and cultural programs. More information about MetLife Foundation is available at www.metlife.org.

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