Benefits can foster inclusion and belonging

As your company continues to work toward diversity goals, take a look at your benefits to ensure they foster a sense of inclusion and belonging.  Here are a few places to start:

Bereavement: Does your policy contain a list of relationships that qualify for bereavement leave?  If so, make sure it’s flexible and inclusive to all types of family structures and can be expanded at a manager’s discretion.  For example, an ex-husband, a pet, an aunt, uncle, or cousin may have played a huge role in the employee’s life and they may need time off to grieve.  I read so often about Chewy’s policy that allows their customer service agents to send flowers when a customer’s pet dies and how appreciated they are.  Think about what it says about your organization if you acknowledge all the different losses employees may experience.

Maternity/Paternity Leave: How inclusive is your leave policy for same-sex parents who have a child via surrogate or adoption? Are they allowed similar time off as a mother who gives birth? Ensuring that all new parents have equal time to stay home with a new addition to their family will go a long way toward letting to employees know they are valued. 

Holidays/Time off: I recently read about a company that has an exchange program for holidays. If you don’t celebrate a holiday, you can choose to exchange the holiday for one you do celebrate.  Exchange Easter for Passover or Christmas for Ramadan. Again, this allows all employees to have time off when it is significant for their beliefs.

One other quick tip – run the policy language through an inclusive tool (like TalVista) and make sure policies are written in the most inclusive manner possible. I’m sure there are other benefits that could use a look through this more inclusive lens.  What suggestions do you have?