Colonial Life parent company ranked in Forbes survey

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Columbia-based supplemental insurance company Colonial Life’s parent company, Unum, has been ranked one of America’s best employers for women by Forbes.

Unum, ranked 135th among 300 companies, earned high marks for pay equity, family support, parental leave policies and diversity among top executives.

Forbes and market research company Statista surveyed 60,000 U.S. employees, including 40,000 women, working for companies with at least 1,000 employees. Unum employs 1,400 at its Colonial Life headquarters.

“Our commitment to inclusion starts at the top,” Liz Ahmed, Unum executive vice president of people and communications, said in a news release. “Supporting and advancing women in the workplace is a critical part of our larger focus on inclusion and creating a world-class workplace for our 10,000 employees.”

Unum, headquartered in Chattanooga, Tenn. and founded in 1848, has a Women’s Professional Network employee resource group and introduced six weeks of paid parental leave for new parents last year. The company also has lactation rooms, a Working Moms network and LeaveLogic, a tool to help new moms plans for maternity leave.

Unum was previously recognized by the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index for efforts to advance women in the workplace, according to the release.

The Forbes study ranked 300 companies in 24 industries. The Estee Lauder Cos. ranked No. 1, followed by Ulta Beauty, the University of Utah, Hallmark Cards and Principal Financial Group.