Good news for families, women and men! The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) has enhanced family-related programs, policies and benefits for its diverse employee base in the US. Effective May 1, 2018, paid parental leave was expanded to 20 weeks and an enhanced flexibility policy for parents returning to work was implemented. The policies apply to all eligible employees, irrespective of gender, according to the global beauty giant.


The company said it will add or enhance benefits around adoption, child and elder care, and infant transition support.


ELC contends these policies, which are among the most comprehensive in the US, underscore its commitment to being one of the nation’s leading global employers.


“Family is important to us. We started as a family company more than 70 years ago, and today, we continue to demonstrate our philosophy of being family-first through an array of benefits that support the diverse needs of our employees,” said Michael O’Hare, executive vice president, global human resources. “We believe providing an abundance of options to our employees will help them thrive inside and outside of work.”


The new and enhanced family-related benefits, programs and policies will include:

• Paid Parental Leave and Back-to-Work Flexibility Policies: Eligible employees, irrespective of gender and including parents adopting or fostering children, will be able to take 20 weeks of paid parental leave at full pay and six weeks of back-to-work flexibility to allow all working parents to bond with their new child(ren) and transition back to work. This benefit is in addition to the short-term disability benefits typically available to mothers for six to eight weeks following childbirth.
• Adoption Assistance Program: Eligible employees can seek reimbursement up to $10,000 for eligible expenses related to the legal adoption of a child under the age of 18, or older if it’s a special needs adoption. The program covers costs such as fees relating to home surveys and legal filings; the child’s medical expenses required for adoption; and required pre- and post-adoption counseling services.
• In-Home Back-Up Child, Adult and Elder Care: Back-up care will now include in-home care for children or adults/elders (in addition to the currently offered back-up child care at centers). An infant transition program is also available, offering more days of care to parents who are transitioning back to work after the birth or placement of a child.

These benefits, programs and policies will be available to US-based, full-time, The Estée Lauder Companies benefits-eligible employees who have completed more than 90 continuous days of service, according to ELC, which is home to many major beauty brands like Clinique, M•A•C, Origins, Tom Ford Beauty and Aveda, among others.


“Our company was founded on the belief that beauty is never one-size-fits-all, and it’s critical that we offer benefits that model this same belief—giving our employees the diverse benefits they need for optimal well-being at any stage of their lives,” noted Sue Mosoff, SVP-global total rewards.