Dive Brief:
- Beginning in 2025, Liberty Mutual will provide up to five days of paid leave for spouses of military personnel to support a move, the company announced Nov. 1 in an update sent to HR Dive.
- The benefit applies to all employees — whether remote or hybrid — whose spouse or domestic partner has received a permanent change of station order, a Liberty Mutual spokesperson clarified to HR Dive via email.
- The benefit was developed in partnership with Valor@Liberty, Liberty Mutual’s employee resource group for veterans, service members and their allies, “to help address a critical need for military service members and their families,” the company shared.
Dive Insight:
To highlight the need for the new benefit, Liberty Mutual cited data from the Military Family Advisory Network showing that military families move every two and a half years on average. MFAN noted the stress such moves can bring to military families, especially in having to pay for moving-related costs, secure child care and manage other life adjustments.
Liberty Mutual prides itself on its support for military workers; it has been designated a “Military Friendly Employer” since 2017, and leaders at the organization have received a number of awards for their support of military employees. Beyond its military ERG and the new spousal leave benefit, Liberty provides paid leave and benefits for reservists during annual training and active duty. It also recruits transitioning service members and provides training through its participation in the Hiring Our Heroes program.
Frequent moving is just one challenge military-associated workers face, experts have said. Current and former service members and their families may also confront the difficulty of adapting to a different mission and culture, dealing with physical and mental health issues, and managing a vastly different work structure.
In addition to reaching out through specific recruitment programs and providing targeted benefits that address military families’ needs, HR professionals can support this group by clarifying career development and promotion processes and connecting them with mentors in the organization, a military reservist previously suggested in an op-ed for HR Dive.
