Apple announced its adding some extra benefits for all employees this year, and while everyone isn’t getting a free Apple Watch, the company has decided to lengthen parental leave, reimburse your college education, and match how much time you spend doing charitable work. Plus some stock perks for your family incase you die.
In a memo shared with Fortune, Apple’s head of HR, Denise Young Smith, said the wage range of new benefits were created to address all four generations in its workforce.
“I don’t think these [benefits] would be immediately thought of. 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 comprehensive update is huge for the 98,000 people employed by Apple worldwide, nearly two-thirds of which are hourly workers at the company’s retail stores.
Apple is now matching philanthropic donations from employees, not just by matching the money employees donate, but now the company will also match hours spent on charitable endeavors. Apple will match up to $25 per hour of non-profit work, with a cap of $10,000 per employee.
The new benefits include a Student Loan Refinancing Program for U.S. employees designed to ease the financial burden on college graduates, as well as parents with children in college. Maternity and new parent leave options for full-time employees was increased as well, to four weeks before the due date for new moms, and 12-14 weeks after delivery. Other parents get up to six weeks off and full pay.
Source: Fortune
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
11 responses to “Apple rolls out cushy new benefits to its 98,000 employees”
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Any slight movement away from virtual slavery is welcome. This is fairly modest compared to other First World countries. These type of benefits are usually government mandated in other jurisdictions. America is different. Government works for employers and benefits are left for employers to use as carrots. A mother needs more than 3 months to bond with her child. The importance of child rearing to a society is not even close to being understood in America.
“Apple is now matching philanthropic donations from employees, not just by matching the money employees donate, but now the company will also match hours spent on charitable endeavors. Apple will match up to $25 per hour of non-profit work, with a cap of $10,000 per employee.”
Please tell me how this is standard anywhere else in the world. Please tell me which companies out there offer stock to the family of the deceased person and reimburse college education. There’s probably a handful of these out there…
I’m not American, I’m European.
First, I was speaking of the maternity leave mostly.
Second, in lieu of a raise they want their mainly slightly above minimum wage employees to do charity work. Those employees with the most family responsibility will lose out unless they decide to give their off hours to charity instead of to parenting. Just great isn’t it?
Reimbursing college education is great but not when it’s in lieu of a raise. I would rather have the raise and decide for myself how to spend my earnings. Next, they will be giving bonuses for voting Conservative!
Uhh, working at an Apple store is one of the highest paying retail jobs out there. You do realize that minimum wage for us is actually a lot more than a lot of other countries (like China) pay their employees, right? Benefits are NOT a mandated right. They are a bonus that the company is offering you for working there.
Come back to reality; we have cookies.
Benefits SHOULD be a mandated right. We are a first world country after all.
I don’t think you understand what “benefits” means. It’s not guaranteed by anything, nor is it as obvious as something like decent pay. It’s simply the company being generous because they know that a happy employee is a good employee.
I know it isn’t guaranteed by anything. I don’t think you understand what “First World Country” means. We are a country that is prosperous. Every company(outside of small mom and pop stores) should be required to give benefits. Its for the good of society.
I don’t think you understand what benefits are. “First World Country” does NOT require that; show me a definition that says so.
There is no definition. But cmon man…why wouldn’t you want civilians to have benefits?
Uhh…because it costs money that not everyone can afford! As you confirmed, there is no qualification that requires companies to provide benefits, hence the term “benefits”.