WILMINGTON, Del., Jan. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AstraZeneca has been named to FORTUNE magazine's list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" list for the third time since 2004. The company is ranked 83rd overall and was specifically cited for its on-site wellness programs, fitness center and other amenities, as well as its childcare center.
AstraZeneca was one of 1,500 companies invited to participate in the selection process this year. The "100 Best Companies to Work For" list is compiled for FORTUNE by the Great Place to Work Institute in San Francisco, based on two criteria: an evaluation of the policies and culture of each company, and the opinions of the company's employees.
Two-thirds of the total score comes from employee responses to a 57-question survey, which goes to a minimum of 400 randomly selected employees. The survey asks about attitudes towards management, job satisfaction, and camaraderie within the organization. The remainder of the score is based on an evaluation of each company's demographic makeup, pay and benefits programs, training recognition programs, diversity efforts, and overall culture.
"We continually strive to make AstraZeneca a great place to work -- a place where job satisfaction is high and individual talents flourish," said Tony Zook, president and CEO, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, U.S. "Ultimately, that helps us attract and retain the kind of workforce needed to create innovative solutions that improve patient health. We're proud to receive this recognition from FORTUNE."
The FORTUNE recognition was just one of three awards received by AstraZeneca this month -- including reaccreditation by the CEO Roundtable on Cancer with the CEO Cancer Gold Standard(TM), and an addition to Men's Fitness magazine's list of the 15 Fittest Companies in America.
CEO Cancer Gold Standard(TM) Reaccreditation
The CEO Gold Standard(TM) was created by the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, a nonprofit organization founded in 2001 by cancer-fighter CEOs in response to the former President George H. W. Bush's challenge that they be "bold and venturesome" in the fight against this disease. AstraZeneca's reaccreditation recognizes the company's significant commitment to helping employees and their families with cancer prevention, early detection, and access to quality care. In addition, the partnership offers employers a comprehensive approach to fighting cancer by focusing on three goals: risk reduction through lifestyle change, early detection, and quality care. AstraZeneca is one of 18 accredited companies and received its initial accreditation in 2006.
As part of its broader commitment to fostering a progressive workplace environment, AstraZeneca has implemented a number of programs designed to enable employees to maintain their commitments inside and outside of work -- including flexible work arrangements, employee network groups and multiple healthy workplace options.
Men's Fitness Magazine Recognition
AstraZeneca was named one of the 15 fittest Companies in America by Men's Fitness because the company "walk[s] their talk when it comes to making sure that employees are healthy and happy," according to the magazine's publishers. "[We] selected these companies based on [employee] access to state-of-the-art gym and fitness facilities, cafeterias with menus with health and nutrition in mind, preventative medical care, programs for losing weight and quitting smoking, and rewards for staying in shape."
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of $26.47 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infection products. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4Good Index. In the United States, AstraZeneca is a $12.44 billion healthcare business with more than 12,000 employees. For nearly three decades, AstraZeneca has offered drug assistance programs side by side with its medicines, and over the past five years, has provided over $3 billion in savings to more than 1 million patients throughout the US and Puerto Rico. AstraZeneca has been named one of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" by Working Mother magazine and is the only large pharmaceutical company named to FORTUNE magazine's 2007 list of "100 Best Companies to Work For." In 2007, for the sixth consecutive year, Science magazine named AstraZeneca a "Top Employer" on its ranking of the world's most respected biopharmaceutical employers.
For more information about AstraZeneca, please visit: www.astrazeneca-us.com.
CONTACT: Leah Smith, +1-302-885-4675, leah.smith@astrazeneca.com, or Tim
Christmann, +1-302-885-4067, timothy.christmann@astrazeneca.com, both of
AstraZeneca
Web site: http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/
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