Apple announces significant improvements to Employee Benefits Program

BY Joe Rossignol

Published 2 Oct 2014

Retail Employees Apple

Apple’s Vice President of Worldwide Human Resources Denise Young Smith issued an internal memo to employees on Thursday that details significant changes to the company’s well-being programs for both part-time and full-time employees. The changes are said to help retain current employees and attract new talent to join the Apple team.

As employees at Apple prepare for the busy holiday shopping season that is about to begin, they will benefit from perks such as expanded educational assistance, a new student loan refinancing program, expanded donation matching program and longer parental leave and compensation for those having children.

Expecting mothers can now take up to four weeks of fully paid leave prior to giving birth, alongside up to an additional twelve to fourteen weeks following birth of the child. Meanwhile, non-birth parents such as fathers can take up to a six week paid leave.

These new perks were put in place after Young Smith canvassed some 98,000 employees at Apple about benefits they want most. “I don’t think these [benefits] would be immediately thought of,” she told Fortune. “But for the first time we’ve probably got four generations in the workplace at the same time, and we need a plethora of programs.”

The full memo:

“We know how hard all of you are working: from the teams designing, producing, launching, and supporting our incredible products to the thousands of retail employees sharing the excitement and experience face to face with our customers every day. You are the reason we are able to change the world, again and again. We appreciate all that you give to Apple to make us great.

Because we want to make sure you get the support you need, we’re excited to introduce significant changes to our global well-being programs for both part-time and full-time employees:

• Educational assistance will be available to all full-time employees and part-time retail employees worldwide and will now cover courses related to any job at Apple — including English language courses at any institution.
• We’re thrilled to introduce a Student Loan Refinancing Program for U.S. employees. This program can ease the burden of past loans and help you cover future expenses for your college-aged children.
• Giving back is something that’s important to so many of us. Since the Apple Matching Gifts Program began, Apple has matched over $25 million of employees’ charitable contributions. Now we’re going to help you do even more for causes that are important to you — by expanding the Apple Matching Gifts Program to all Apple employees around the world and by donating money to causes where you volunteer your time.
• In the U.S., we’re enhancing our maternity and new parent leave options for full-time employees. As a new mom, you will be able to take fully paid leave for up to four weeks before your due date and up to twelve to fourteen weeks after your baby is born. Other new parents will receive full pay for up to six weeks.

To learn about these changes and more, or to provide feedback on any of Apple’s well-being programs, I encourage you to visit HRWeb.

As we embark upon these busy and important months for our customers, please make sure to give yourself the attention you deserve. Your work is vital, but your happiness and well-being are what will bring true success.
Denise”

Apple Wellness Center

Young Smith, who has focused on increasing diversity and inclusion at Apple, has also been promoting the iPhone maker’s so-called “wellness center” for employees. She claims that the new one-stop medical facility at Apple’s Infinite Loop headquarters has been visited by over 43,000 employees since it opened one year ago.

The wellness center is compromised of seven doctors and a larger team of chiropractors, physical therapists and dieticians, with a sleek and simplistic design that rips a page out of Jony Ive’s textbook.

“Doctors work out of a central ‘pod’ in the middle of the building, surrounded by a circle of examination rooms, which they enter through a different door than their patients. Inside, the paperless, minimalistic exam rooms hold a small table with an iPad and Mac (what else?). There is a coat closet for employees to hang their belonging–as an added bonus, each closet comes equipped with an iPhone charger. No specimens or bulky equipment are to be seen.”

Young Smith highlights the employee experience at Apple as one of the reasons why she values her job, sharing CEO Tim Cook’s focus on both people and products. She and her team will continue to look for ways to introduce additional employee benefits, such as more commuting options and a sabbatical program of some kind for extended vacations.

Young Smith has headed Apple’s Human Resources department since February. She wrote a letter to employees about diversity and inclusion in September.

[Fortune via 9to5Mac]