ATLANTA -- Convenience-store chain RaceTrac has reported more advantages than costs from its extended parental leave benefits, according to a study of more than 250 companies from The Boston Consulting Group.
In May, the operator rolled out paid leave options for its corporate employees, offering primary caregivers eight weeks of leave at 100% pay and secondary caregivers two weeks of full wages. In reality, the retailer’s new policy directly impacts about 12 people each year, Nichole Upshaw, executive director of human resources for the company, told CSP Daily News. But the program has had some reverberating effects that have helped ease everyday labor challenges ...
In 2014, RaceTrac surveyed its 7,000 employees to find out what they valued in a workplace. More than 50% of the corporate responses mentioned paid family leave. “When we were flipping through the comments, I was thinking there’s no way this many people are thinking about having babies,” Upshaw said. “But at least everyone is a parent or a grandparent or aunt or uncle; they understand.”
A lack of a company-sponsored paid parental leave was also reflected in the exit interviews for female employees. When they started to plan a family, they would make a move to other retail companies with more robust leave policies. However, Upshaw has not heard that feedback since the program began this summer. “We’ve not lost any of our top-performing women since we’ve implemented the new policy,” she said.
Upshaw said headquarters has seen a noticeable shift in office morale. Not only do workers view RaceTrac as a place that takes care of parents, she said, but they also feel heard. “They think, ‘When we give feedback, RaceTrac is going to work on the things we care about,’” she said. The Boston Consulting Group report also cited that more than 80% of companies with paid family leave saw an uptick in morale, according to an EY survey.
An unexpected benefit of the paid leave policy has been the ongoing creation of procedures that help transition parents and their team members in and out of leave. RaceTrac is in the process of spelling out supervisors' roles and options such as modified schedules. “That mental and emotional support in and out is just as important as any dollar amount,” she says.
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