Retail giant Target Inc. is expanding its paid family leave and childcare benefits.
The retailer announced it will enhance benefits offered for its hourly workforce, including 350,000 part-time employees and salaried members at stores, distribution centers and U.S. headquarters, according to a Monday news release.
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The enhancements include expanding backup child care for hourly and salaried members with a program that includes 20 days of in-center childcare or in-home child- and eldercare through a partner network.
Essentially, employees will be able to bring their child to an in-network day care center for $20 per day or pay a subsidized hourly rate for in-home care.
Target’s expanded paid leave policy, which begins June 30, extends benefits to hourly and salaried team members, including part-time employees. Instead of two weeks of paid parental leave, employees will be allowed four weeks paid time off annually to care for a newborn or sick family member. New moms will also get an additional six to eight weeks of paid maternity leave.
For more than a decade, the retailer has offered reimbursement for adoption and surrogacy fees. Now, Target wants to double the amount, giving hourly and salaried employees financial support to focus on growing their families.
Target’s enhanced benefits are just one example of the rising competition among American retailers as unemployment nears its lowest level in decades.
In April, Target announced an increase in its minimum hourly wage by $1 to $13, higher than Walmart's $11 hourly minimum. Amazon and Costco both offer a minimum wage of $15, and according to Quartz, Target hopes to follow suit by the end of 2020.
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As for paid leave, Starbucks unveiled six weeks paid leave for all barista parents, 18 weeks of maternity leave to salaried birth moms and up to 12 weeks of paid leave to salaried non-birth parents.
Unlike Walmart Inc., Target’s paid parental leave program, which offers 10 weeks of paid maternity leave for moms who’ve worked at the company for at least 12 months, does not include part-time workers.
Read more about Target's new benefit policies at corporate.target.com.
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