CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Fifth Third Bank launched a new Maternity Concierge program for female employees who are pregnant or who have a baby up to 1 year old, to help with everything from planning baby showers to researching child care options.

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Katie Ockerman, a Fifth Third financial center manager, says the Bank's Maternity Concierge program helps her balance work and life. She is a mom to 10-month-old twins, Madilyn (left) and Cora (in lap) and 2-year-old Naomi. (Photo: Business Wire)

“The Maternity Concierge program is part of Fifth Third’s commitment to provide an environment and culture where working mothers can not only succeed, but also excel,” said Teresa Tanner, chief administrative officer at Fifth Third Bank and visionary for the program. “It has been great to see how we can provide support to women during this critical time.”

Fifth Third understands the importance of supporting women in the workforce. Over the past decade, the Bank has implemented initiatives to recruit, develop and advance female talent at all levels in their career. The Maternity Concierge program is a result of Tanner seeing an immediate need to support a specific group of employees: working mothers, who represent more than one-third of the female workforce. (Women’s Bureau – U.S. Department of Labor)

“We know that being pregnant and having a new baby can be very exciting, and also very stressful,” Tanner said. “So as a company, we wanted to find a way to celebrate this new life, and to provide support to our new working moms.”

In the program’s first four months, more than 170 women enrolled. The service, provided through Best Upon Request, is offered at Fifth Third’s corporate headquarters in Cincinnati as well as virtually throughout the Bank’s 10-state footprint.

The program was designed to assist women with the unique challenges they face during pregnancy, after the baby is born and especially upon their return to work. The free Maternity Concierge program benefit begins at pregnancy and women work directly with a concierge specializing in maternity needs, who can help with everything from finding photographers to shopping for items such as robes and nursing bras for the woman’s hospital bag.

Lexus Smith, a customer service representative for Fifth Third and mother of 12-week-old Zavier and a 5-year-old daughter, said the program helped her plan her baby shower, run errands and find child care for her son.

“It shows me that the company doesn’t just care about me professionally, but they care about me as a person,” she said. “My family is very important to me and this feels like a family-friendly company.”

Now that Smith has returned to work, she says the Maternity Concierge feels like a safety net. “I know that I have someone who has my back, who can help me,” she said. “It makes me feel so much less stress when I’m at work. I don’t have to worry about my family when I’m here. And when I’m home, I’m just enjoying time with them.”

The two full-time Maternity Program concierges find themselves playing a mix of baby planner, personal assistant and confidant.

“While the list of how we can help seems almost endless, we’ve found the women using the program appreciate the small requests like information on how to order a breast pump through insurance or scheduling meal deliveries,” said Jessi Lima Bollin, vice president of marketing and communications for Best Upon Request. “The overall feedback has been that the extra help gives them peace of mind to focus entirely on work when they’re at the office and entirely on their family when they’re at home.”

Fifth Third asked Best Upon Request to collaboratively create a customized program that would serve its pregnant employees and new moms. Fifth Third has worked with Best Upon Request, a minority- and woman-owned company, since 2013 to provide traditional concierge services to employees at two of its Cincinnati campuses and its offices in Grand Rapids and Chicago.

For information about careers at Fifth Third or job openings, visit 53.com/careers.

About Fifth Third

Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. As of March 31, 2017, the Company had $140 billion in assets and operated 1,155 full-service Banking Centers and 2,471 ATMs in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending, and Wealth & Asset Management. As of March 31, 2017, Fifth Third also had a 17.8 percent interest in Vantiv Holding, LLC. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of March 31, 2017, had $323 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $33 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations through its Trust, Brokerage and Insurance businesses. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Fifth Third’s common stock is traded on the Nasdaq® Global Select Market under the symbol “FITB.” Fifth Third Bank was established in 1858. Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender.

About Best Upon Request

In business since 1989, Best Upon Request is a certified Minority and Women Business Enterprise, and Corporate Plus® Member of the National Minority Supplier Development Center, providing on-site concierge services to organizations nationwide. BEST helps employees save time and decrease stress, resulting in increased engagement and commitment to their employer. For healthcare clients, BEST also takes care of patients’ non-medical needs to improve the patient experience. With on-site offices in 10 states, BEST serves customers in 20 states and Puerto Rico.

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