Dive Brief:
- Meijer will increase the benefits it offers active-duty employees on military leave effective this month, the retailer announced May 2.
- Meijer will now offer 100% income replacement for up to nine months for military members on deployment who have been with the company at least a year. For those with less than a year of employment with Meijer, the company will provide the same benefit for up to three months, Meijer said. The benefit can be used throughout an employee’s time with the company without a maximum limit.
- Meijer also will cover workers’ health benefits for up to nine months during deployment, the company said.
Dive Insight:
Meijer’s new offerings mirror steps other employers have taken to specialize benefits for military personnel and veterans.
“We know supporting our military team members goes beyond recognizing their service. It’s about being there for them with resources while they’re on the job and lessening stress and barriers through enhanced benefits when they are called to serve,” Michelle Hall, senior vice president and chief human resource officer, said in a statement.
Last summer, Starbucks created a centralized service to help workers with military transfers and relocation and built out a partnership with Lyra Health to provide personalized mental health support to veterans and their families.
Likewise, Johnson & Johnson employees receive their full pay and benefits while being called for active duty or training, on top of what they are paid by the U.S. Armed Forces.
And many states, including Pennsylvania, Utah and Maryland, have dropped four-year degree requirements for state jobs to open up opportunities for workers “skilled through alternative routes.” Maryland’s announcement directly named military service as means by which job seekers acquire skills.