Neiman Marcus Group expands paid parental leave

Dive Brief:

Neiman Marcus Group took Mother’s Day as an opportunity to announce new paid family leave benefits for all associates, working full or part time, according to a company press release.
As of Jan. 1 this year, the retailer has offered 16 weeks of paid leave for anyone welcoming a child, including via adoption, surrogacy or foster care, and up to 24 weeks of paid maternity leave for birthing mothers. Those employed for at least a year can use $3,000 toward an adoption to ease costs like placement, legal or medical expenses.
As of Aug. 1, the new policy will also provide two weeks of paid leave to care for a child, spouse, partner, parent or other family member, as defined by the Family Medical Leave Act, the company said.

Dive Insight:

In a tight labor market, businesses are searching for ways to attract and keep workers.

Employers are developing enticements beyond wage hikes, which appear to be just one factor for people considering where to work. Flexible work-from-home policies have emerged as an important option for U.S. consumers: A recent Ipsos study found that 46% prefer to work from home more than they used to before the pandemic.

That's not really an option for store associates or warehouse employees, so retailers are offering other incentives, like tuition assistance and, in this case, better leave benefits, even for part-time employees.

At the holidays, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas warned retailers that shrinking unemployment benefits wouldn't necessarily help much as they tried to staff up for the extra demand because "myriad other issues could keep them from filling these roles, such as COVID concerns, vaccination statuses, child care issues, and burnout.”

Workers are aware of employers' struggle to fill open positions and "feel especially secure," according to a recent survey from Morning Consult. Last month, just 10.3% of U.S. adults expected to lose employment income, the lowest since the firm started tracking in June 2020.

Neiman Marcus Group human resources chief Eric Severson said the company continues "to promote work and life integration ... Our aim is to empower and prioritize our associates by offering them flexible, innovative policies to make their lives extraordinary."