Working Mother magazine recognizes Aflac as being a women- and family-friendly company COLUMBUS, Ga., Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Working Mother magazine today announced that Aflac is a 2006 Working Mother 100 Best Company. For 21 years the Working Mother 100 Best Companies has celebrated employers like Aflac whose groundbreaking benefits - from flexible schedules and child care to innovative leave policies for new parents - are helping redefine workplace standards across the nation. "Aflac remains committed to providing opportunities to women that improve the balance between work and home life because it is important to our workforce," stated Audrey Tillman, senior vice president, director of Human Resources. "This recognition not only validates that we are continuing to move in the right direction, but also that the programs we have initiated are effective." Profiled in the October issue of Working Mother magazine, the Columbus, Ga.-based insurer is celebrated for creating a work environment that is especially hospitable to all women, including working mothers. In making family-friendly policies - including flextime, child care and telecommuting - the norm, Aflac continues to create a corporate culture that encourages the retention and promotion of its female employees. "Aflac is exceptional for its continuing commitment to working mothers, and we salute them for making the 100 Best for the fifth time," said Carol Evans, CEO of Working Mother Media. "Every year we see companies upping the ante, establishing new paradigms for quality of life among their employees and redefining the status quo for workplaces across the country. Among the many worthy entrants, the winners really set the gold standard." At Aflac, women make up the majority of the company's entire workforce, accounting for nearly 70 percent of all employees. More than half of Aflac's management team consists of females, and close to 30 percent of upper management are women. Recently, the company launched a telecommuting program for employees and already has a flextime program in place that a fourth of the 4,100 employees utilize. The company is also noted for housing the largest on-site child-care facility in Georgia, providing accommodations for more than 600 children. In surveying the companies that applied for this year's list, Working Mother gave particular weight to flexible scheduling and leave time. To apply for the Working Mother 100 Best, Aflac provided the magazine with detailed information on seven areas of work/life balance, including workforce profile, compensation, child care, flexibility, time off and leaves, family- friendly programs and company culture. The company completed a 500+ question application, the most rigorous of its kind, which checked the availability, tracking and usage of programs to support working mothers, the accountability of managers to implement programs and the successful advancement of women into top-paying jobs, board position and management ranks. The leading insurer was also required to submit benefits handbooks and supporting documentation. The complete list of the 2006 Working Mother 100 Best Companies can be found at http://www.workingmother.com/. About Aflac For more than 50 years, Aflac products have given policyholders the opportunity to direct cash where it is needed most when a life-interrupting medical event causes financial challenges. Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance in the United States and the number one insurance company in terms of individual insurance policies in force in Japan. Aflac's insurance products provide protection to more than 40 million people worldwide. Aflac has been included in Fortune magazine's listing of America's Most Admired Companies for six consecutive years and Forbes magazine's Platinum 400 List of America's Best Big Companies for five consecutive years. In January 2006, Aflac was included in Fortune magazine's list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the eighth consecutive year. Aflac was also included in Fortune magazine's list of the Top 50 Employers for Minorities in August 2005, and in September 2005, Aflac Japan was named the Life Insurance Company of the Year at the Asia Insurance Industry Awards, sponsored by the Asia Insurance Review. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac, visit aflac.com. About Working Mother Founded in 1979, Working Mother magazine reaches nearly 3 million readers and is the only national magazine for career-committed mothers. Its 21-year signature initiative, Working Mother 100 Best Companies, is the most important benchmark for work/life practices in corporate America. The publication also releases the annual list of the Best Companies for Women of Color in the June issue. Working Mother is published by Working Mother Media (WMM), which also owns the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), NAFE Magazine, the annual 100 Best Companies WorkLife Congress, as well as the Best Companies for Women of Color Multicultural Conference and regional Town Halls. This year, WMM launched its Best Small Companies for Working Mothers initiative. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041202/CLTH019LOGO) Media Contacts: Yolonda King Mechell Clark Aflac Incorporated Aflac Incorporated (706) 243-8547 706-243-8004 http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041202/CLTH019LOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Aflac Incorporated CONTACT: Yolonda King, +1-706-243-8547, or , or Mechell Clark, +1-706-243-8004, or , both of Aflac Incorporated Web site: http://www.aflac.com/ http://www.workingmother.com/

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