AbbottAbbott (NYSE: ABT) has been named one of the 100 Best Companies by Working Mother magazine. This was the tenth consecutive year that Abbott has been included on the prestigious list, which recognizes companies for leadership in providing family-friendly benefits, programs and workplace culture.

"Abbott's inclusion on the Working Mother list for the past decade is a testament to our longstanding commitment to connecting people with their potential, helping them to succeed and build extraordinary careers," said Stephen Fussell, senior vice president, Human Resources, Abbott. "We also continue to focus on creating and implementing innovative, targeted programs that meet the evolving needs of our employees, their families and our growing business around the world."

Abbott provides a comprehensive offering of health care, wellness, work/life and other family-friendly benefits, as well as flexible work options such as job sharing, compressed work-weeks, telecommuting and flextime to help employees find success at work and home. Abbott employees are given opportunities to succeed, lead and grow in their careers through training, mentoring, tuition reimbursement, networking groups and development programs that provide support and extensive advancement opportunities.

Abbott Recognized as a Premier Employer
In addition to being included on the Working Mother list for ten consecutive years, Abbott has been named to DiversityInc magazine's list of the top companies for diversity for seven years and Hispanic Business magazine's list of the Top 60 Diversity Elite for four years. The company also has been recognized by The Scientist magazine as a top employer for scientists for seven years. Additionally, FORTUNE has named Abbott as one of "America's Most Admired Companies" every year since the list's inception in 1983, including naming Abbott the No. 1 Most Admired Company in its industry sector in 2010, in part for the company's strong performance in people management. In addition, Abbott has been named a great place to work in more than 20 countries around the world.

About Working Mother and the 100 Best Companies List
Abbott was selected for the 2010 Working Mother 100 Best Companies based on an extensive application with more than 600 questions on workforce, compensation, child care, flexibility programs, leave policies and more. It also surveys the usage, availability and tracking of programs, as well as the accountability of managers who oversee them. Seven areas were measured and scored: workforce profile, benefits, women's issues and advancement, child care, flexible work, parental leave, and company culture. For this year's 100 Best, particular weight was given to benefits, flexibility and parental leave.

Profiles of Abbott and the other 100 Best Companies, as well as national comparisons, are in the October issue of Working Mother and at workingmother.com/bestcompanies.

Working Mother magazine reaches 2 million readers and is the only national magazine for career-committed mothers; WorkingMother.com brings to the Web home and career information, advice and a broad range of solutions daily. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Working Mother's signature research initiative, Working Mother 100 Best Companies, the most important benchmark for work-life practices in corporate America. Working Mother Media, a division of Bonnier Corp. (www.bonnier.com), includes the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE, www.nafe.com), Diversity Best Practices (www.diversitybestpractices.com), the WorkLife Congress and the Multicultural Women's Conference and Leadership Summits. Working Mother Media's mission is to serve as a champion of culture change.

About Abbott
Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs nearly 90,000 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 http://www.abbott.com.