XPO Logistics expands benefits for new parents

XPO Logistics is the latest employer to add benefits for new mothers and fathers.

The transportation and logistics company has rolled out a new paid parental leave policy this year for 47,000 eligible workers, giving primary caregivers six weeks of leave and secondary caregivers two weeks. The leave, which provides 100% pay for parents of a newborn or adopted child, can be taken intermittently.

XPO also added job-related flexibility and alternate work arrangements, and now offers 10 days of 100% paid prenatal leave that can be used during a pregnancy or following the loss of a pregnancy.

Josephine Berisha, senior vice president of compensation and benefits at XPO Logistics, says its new benefits give the company “competitive differentiation to recruit and retain talent.”

“These benefits are tailor-made to provide the kind of support pregnant women need, and they demonstrate our commitment to create the best workplace we can for our employees,” she says.

XPO Logistics joins a growing number of employers that are tailoring perks to new parents in an effort to attract and retain talent. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the number of employers offering paid parental leave jumped from 17% in 2016 to 27% in 2018.

During his State of the Union address in early February, President Donald Trump renewed an earlier call for federal paid family leave saying every parent should have “a chance to bond with their newborn child.”

But many employers have already taken note. Insurance company AIG expanded its adoption and surrogacy reimbursement benefits in January, the company told EBN. Last year, Noodles & Company, Eataly and the University of Virginia were among a number of employers to make changes to their parental leave offerings.

In addition to the new leave policy, XPO also added services through digital health startup Maven Clinic as a free benefit for its workers. Through the Maven mobile app, employees now have access to health practitioners across 20 specialties including fertility, infant sleep, lactation, nutrition and mental health. Employees can consult with specialists through phone, video chat and private messaging.

“Expert digital healthcare is an important additional convenience for new parents, especially working mothers who are balancing the demands of home and work,” Berisha says.

Maven Clinic offers a full suite of family benefits, and works with employers like Snap Inc., the creators of the social media app Snapchat. The startup added a breast milk shipping benefit to its offerings last September.

Through Maven, XPO employees on the company’s medical plan can access the new benefits free-of-charge any time during pregnancy and up to six months after the baby’s arrival.

The benefits are extended to parents during the surrogacy and adoption process, and those who have recently lost a pregnancy. Employees who are interested in fertility treatments or egg freezing are eligible for discounts and up to six months of support from specialists, the company said.