Apple announces cushy new benefits to help attract employees
While it’s not exactly a free Apple Watch or iPhone 6 Plus, Apple’s more than 98,000 employees received some good news today. According to Fortune, human resources head Denise Young Smith announced a new and updated set of employee benefits.
Young Smith told Fortune that the perks are made for all four generations in the workforce:
“I don’t think these [benefits] would be immediately thought of,” Young Smith told Fortune. “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.”
First up, Apple has increased paid parental leave. Expectant mothers can take up to four weeks before delivery and 14 weeks after their child is born. Fathers, and other non-birth parents, are now allowed up to six weeks off.
Other changes include reimbursement for all classes taken by employees, an expansion of the donation-matching program, and subsidized student loan refinancing.
The benefits will be for all Apple employees, including hourly workers and Apple Store positions.
Along with helping to keep and attract talent in competitive Silicon Valley, Young Smith said the new benefits will help the company focus on employees right along with products:
“We’ve led with products for a long time and we always will,” says Young Smith, who admits Apple still struggles with beating its human resources portal’s clunkiness. “But we’re at a point where people are really important and experience is really important and how people experience our products is really important.”
For other recent news, see: Apple selects Steve Dowling as interim head of public relations, Comparing the iPhone 6 to the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8, and Recently hired Apple designer Marc Newson interviewed by Dezeen magazine.
