Whirlpool employee Cean Burgeson and daughter, from adoption to her prom

Whirlpool Corp.’s Be*Well initiatives provide U.S. employees with new holistic wellbeing offerings

As part of Whirlpool Corp.’s ongoing commitment to wellbeing, the company has introduced a holistic “Be*Well” initiative. It provides a range of support and resources to empower and encourage employees to be well in all aspects of their lives at home and work. The company’s commitment is designed to support employees holistically—and provide resources for healthy and balanced living—which includes physical, mental, financial, social, developmental and personal wellbeing.

“Employees spoke and we listened,” said Tonya Finley-Gaskill, senior benefits manager.
“As part of our normal process, we collected input from our employees through a benefits survey and by partnering with our Employee Resource Groups. We’re excited to expand our current offerings and provide more inclusivity with building a family and providing a range of offerings to a larger population of people.”

Earlier this year, Whirlpool Corp. announced a collaboration with Progyny (infertility support) and expanded leave benefits for employees as part of the commitment to ensure employees feel heard and supported.

We recognize that each employee has their own unique journey. Our goal is to offer support to employees and their families—so it’s their journey to own.”

“Working with Progyny, we’re able to offer employees IVF (In Vitro Insemination), IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) and advocacy support. We see a lot of employees that are having families later in life or who are identifying as an LGBTQ community member, so this benefit will also help many individuals achieve their goals of parenthood, and connects with our overall strategy of supporting working families.”

To help families care for loved ones during times of need, the company has introduced “Caregiver Leave” that provides two weeks of paid leave for eligible employees to care for a sick family member (including employees’ parents) or as additional bonding time. This can be added in addition to the normal Family Medical Leave for employees.

To support employees that are new to the company, there is a new program called “First Year leave” offering employees more flexibility during the first year of employment. This benefit provides a maximum of four weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave of absence for a self-qualifying medical event or to care for a qualified family member.

Whirlpool Corp. has also increased its adoption benefit from $5,000 to $10,000, and this change will now include surrogacy reimbursement for qualified expenses in an effort to support employees on their journey to build their families.

An additional added benefit is a new free financial coaching program with SmartPath that can help employees and their families to reach their financial goals. Whether it’s preparing for retirement, buying a new home, setting aside funds for emergencies, or balancing a budget, employees have access to a financial health coach to support them with their financial wellbeing.

“This entire group of benefits will continue to assist employees with their work/life balance and connect with our overall wellbeing strategy (Be*Well) in supporting the diverse needs of our employees,” said Finley-Gaskill. “We recognize that each employee has their own unique journey. Our goal is to offer support to employees and their families—so it’s their journey to own.”

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ABOVE PHOTO: 17 years ago Whirlpool Corp. Employee Cean Burgeson adopted a young girl from China who is a thriving young woman today preparing to graduate from high school. He wishes he would have had access to the types of benefits offered to adoptive parents today by Whirlpool Corp. while working with his previous employer, which would have eased his family’s journey to adoption.