Lululemon is Giving Paid Maternity Leave to Employees Who Work Just 24 Hours a Week

Lululemon is Giving Paid Maternity Leave to Employees Who Work Just 24 Hours a Week If youre a fan of Lululemons comfy yogawear, theres another reason to feel good while wearing it The company is now offering paid maternity, paternity and adoption leave to all employees who work 24 hours a week or more.On Wednesday, Lululemon Athletica Inc. announced the new benefit, aimed at boosting retention and morale for employees at all levels, from in-store associates to senior leaders.After two years with the company, full-time employees can receive three months of maternity, paternity or adoption leave at full pay. After five years tenure, employees will get six months at full pay. Employees are considered full-time if they work at least 24 hours a week.The policy follows in the footsteps of several other retail giants who expanded their paid parental leave policies in recent years, includingStarbucks andWalmart. Many retailers havefaced criticism for offering paid leave to salaried employee s in their corporate offices but not to their hourly associates. (Thats if they offer paid leave at all. Many dont. Only 16 percent of workers in the U.S. have access to paid family leave, according todata from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.)Thats what makes Lululemons new policy so generous It applies to workers who clock in just 24 hours a week. For comparison, Starbucks highly praised expanded benefit is available to those who work 20 or more hours a week. Walmarts leave is now available to all hourly associates, but only those who work full-timewhich accounts for about50 percent of their workforce.According to Bloomberg, the majority of Lululemons full-time staffers in the U.S. have been with the company for two or more years, while one-fifth have worked there five or more years, so the benefit stands to titelbild a decent portion of the companys U.S. workforce. (Lululemon is based in Canada, where paid maternity leave is offered to all working moms through a government unemplo yment insurance program. Since the compensation is partial, Lululemon will offer a paid top-up to Canadian staff, Susan Gelinas, senior vice president for people and culture at Lululemon, said in an interview withBloomberg.)When you think about an investment, theres also all of those areas where its really hard to quantify because of the contribution and the return, Gelinas told Bloomberg. We just see this as something thats right to do for our people. Audrey Goodson Kingo--This story originally appeared on Working Mother. Working Mother is mentor, role model and advocate for the countrys more than 17 million moms who are devoted to their families and committed to their careers. Through our website, magazine, research, radio and powerful events, Working Mother provides its readers with the community, solutions and strategies they need to thrive.