Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. is providing employees with coverage for egg freezing and expanding some fertility allowances, as well as introducing gender affirmation coverage.
“This is something we’re really proud of because it’s part of our global diversity, equity and inclusion strategy,” says Ksenia Kamenskaya, director of people and culture at RBH. “We want to make sure our benefits are also a way to communicate the culture we’re trying to build. We have a number of employee resource groups globally and the women’s support group is one of them, so it was definitely important during the re-negotiation stage to make sure we expand those benefits.”
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The company is also enhancing its mental-health benefit, including expanded coverage for counselling and psychiatrists, effective Jan. 1, 2023.
“Last year, we had some employee listening sessions and we had questions regarding removing some of the limitations on the type of mental-health [practitioners] that were part of the plan,” says Kamenskaya. “With the new contract, we have basically doubled the support and the maximum threshold to make sure employees have access to more [mental-health] assets.”
She believes these improvements will go a long way in assisting the company’s attraction and retention efforts. RBH recently conducted an employee engagement survey and found its benefits enhancements are reflective of what employees truly want.
“It’s all about sustainability of the workforce and supporting the right level of engagement, so it’s important for us to make sure we provide adequate wellness support for all our employees. Benefits are . . . also a great way for us to differentiate ourselves and show what we stand for as an organization.”
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