Unum, BlueCross, VW among Forbes’ best major employers for women

Three of Chattanooga’s biggest employers made this year’s Forbes list of America’s Best Employers for Women.

The Chattanooga-based disability insurer Unum was the top-ranked major employer in Chattanooga appearing on the Forbes list, which ranked companies with more than 1,000 employees based upon responses from women workers surveyed across the country. Unum was No. 106 out of 300 companies for its working conditions, pay equity and professional development. Jumping 21 spots from last year, the company is also recognized for diversity among senior leadership and board members.

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, which has had a diversity, equity and inclusion staff for more than a decade, rose to 164 on the Forbes list. Volkswagen Group, which operates its U.S. assembly plant in Chattanooga, was No. 202 on the new Forbes list of best employers for women.

Forbes teamed up with market research company Statista to identify the companies liked most by female workers. The list was compiled by surveying 50,000 Americans, including 30,000 women, working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees.

The new list was released coming out of the coronavirus pandemic, which hit female workers especially hard and reduced the number of female workers on the job by 3.8 million jobs.

“We are proud to be a people’s choice and will continue to foster a workplace where women are supported, encouraged and empowered for success,” said Liz Ahmed, executive vice president of People, Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility at Unum.

In 2020, Unum introduced six weeks of paid parental leave for all new parents. Earlier this year, Unum added paid caregiver leave. Unum also created Employee Networks to advance belonging, create community and identify solutions to barriers some women may encounter in the workplace.

In the Forbes study, companies across 24 industries employing at least 1,000 people in their U.S. operations were evaluated.