Improving Morale & the Bottom Line
#68 in the Green Goldfish Project – Aetna
Aetna Life & Casualty Co. reduced resignations of new mothers by 50% by extending its unpaid parental leave policy to six months, saving the company $1 million a year in training, recruiting and hiring expenses.
According to the IWPR, women with paid parental leave are more likely to return to the same employer after the birth of a child. When Aetna increased the length of its maternity leave, retention of new mothers increased from 77% to 91%, according to the report. Workplace flexibility improves workers’ commitment to their employer and work-life balance is a leading concern cited by employees deciding to remain with their employer.
The full report is available from Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) online here.
Today’s Lagniappe (a little something extra tossed in for good measure) – A heartwarming tale about the CEO from Aetna and urban renewal:
The Green Goldfish Project is a quest to find 1,001 examples of marketing lagniappe for employees. Green goldfish are the little signature extras given to employees. They help differentiate a company, increase employee retention and drive positive WoM.