Expanded Leave Benefits
Challenge
As life stages and broader cultural norms evolve, so do employees’ needs. In a work environment that spans five generations, everyone values different things, spanning from compensation to medical benefits to flex time and holidays. We’ve spent a lot of time talking with employees at different life stages and asking questions about their pain points and what contributes to feeling torn between work and home.
Actions
Out of our discussion with employees, we developed a strategy to focus on these moments when employees really need support the most. As a result, General Mills is increasing fully paid time off for new birth mothers to 18 to 20 weeks, and parental leave (for fathers, partners and adoptive parents) to 12 weeks. We're also introducing caregiver leave, which allows employees to take two weeks off at full pay to care for immediate family members with serious health conditions. And finally, we’re increasing bereavement leave to up to four weeks of full pay, as well as improving short-term disability benefits.
Outcomes
TBD – the new benefits will go into effect January 1, 2019.
Contact
James Momon
Quote
For General Mills, success means deeply understanding the lives of our increasingly diverse consumers – something that’s only possible with the insight born from a workforce of many perspectives, ideas and backgrounds. We’re proud to make food people love, and inclusion across our workforce, culture, consumers and broader society ensures we’re able to continue doing just that.