Being an Apple employee has its benefits, but apparently not quite enough. Apple’s head of HR, Denise Young Smith, announced on Thursday that Apple would be expanding its benefits program rather substantially. Fortune reports that some of the new perks include longer parental leave, reimbursement for any classes taken, an expanded donation-matching program, refinancing on student loans and stock acceleration in the event an employee dies.
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“I don’t think these [benefits] would be immediately thought of,” Young Smith told Fortune. “But for the first time we’ve probably got four generations in the workplace at the same time, and we need a plethora of programs.”
Young Smith only took the job in February, but immediately got to work finding out what Apple employees needed from the company — all 98,000 of them. These programs aren’t just for the designers and coders in Apple’s offices either; two-thirds of Apple’s workforce are hourly employees, and many of those work in Apple’s retail stores. Young Smith wanted the benefits to reach as many people as possible, no many where they were located.
Apple has even also opened its own “wellness center” in Cupertino, California which “employs seven doctors plus a large team of chiropractors, physical therapists and dieticians.”
“It’s the experience that sets it apart,” says Young Smith in regards to the wellness center.
Young Smith and Apple plan to continue expanding the benefits program in the future as the company continues to grow.
