These Are the Best Workplaces for Dads

What makes a good workplace great? Maybe it's the colleagues who challenge you, or advancement opportunities while working on a mission you can get behind — and hey, free snacks don't hurt. Sometimes, though, it's easy to forget that how a company supports you outside the office is just as important as how it supports you between 9 and 5.

For working parents, job benefits that help prioritize the family's wellbeing are crucial. In its latest annual report, Fatherly looked for the top companies that provide best-in-class benefits for working dads.

The top spots have a few things in common: flexible work arrangements (hello, end-of-year school activities), parental support groups, adoption expense support, child care subsidies, generous amounts of paid sick days to care for family members, and education funding. Efforts to support family planning are also on the rise — a surprising 82 percent of the best companies for dads offer fertility aid.

However, there's plenty of room for improvement — only 8 percent of companies offer ramp-back time for new dads returning to the workforce. And as far as family support beyond raising a child, just 12 percent offer financial and eldercare planning for employees.

So, who nabbed this year's top spot? For the first time in the report's history, it's not Netflix.

THE BEST WORKPLACES FOR DADS

1. American Express

2. Lenovo

3. Spotify

4. Etsy

5. Twitter

6. Unilever

7. IBM

8. Netflix

9. Deloitte

10. Bank of America

How did Amex dethrone the video streaming disruptor? According to Fatherly's review, the company recently launched an internal campaign that actively lobbies for new dads to take their full 20 weeks of paid leave. (Additional leave is offered for mothers who give birth.) Amex's Focus on Fatherhood program is a support group where dads connect to discuss balancing work and life responsibilities. The company also got high marks in providing family benefits beyond child care — it hosts eldercare support workshops and offers bereavement leave, the latter of which is provided at only 6 percent of top companies.

Overall, the companies that make up the cream of the crop fall primarily in the tech (40 percent) and finance (24 percent) industries. California and New York lead the pack in hosting the most companies amenable to fathers' needs, with more than half of the top 50 businesses headquartered within the two states.

While these companies are being recognized for offering generous paid leave policies and workplace programs for families, it's worth noting that just 13 percent of the private sector workforce has paid family leave through their jobs, according to the report.

Curious to see if your workplace made the cut? Check out Fatherly's full list and analysis here.