Month: September 2024

By Lisa Bryant

At Dow, we have a long-standing commitment to investing in the health and safety of our employees.

We all have tremendous responsibilities, at work and at home. Managing professional life, family life, and caregiving affects me and thousands of members of Team Dow every day.

The challenges confronting working caregivers have reached unprecedented levels. According to a Stanford study, 75% of working parents struggle to find reliable childcare services. At the same time, the cost of childcare has increased 32% in the last 5 years. And it’s not just about childcare. Caregiving for older individuals, both friends and family members, is a growing demand on working adults, and spans demographic groups.

The employee Total Rewards concept

At Dow, we have a long-standing commitment to investing in the health and safety of our employees. One way we do that is through offering a robust portfolio of employee Total Rewards benefits and wellbeing programs.

Supporting our workforce beyond just the paycheck, with benefits that take into consideration the real demands in people’s lives, is more than just nice to do. This support can lead to lower stress levels, improved employee experiences, higher retention rates, and give employers an edge in attracting and retaining top talent.

That is why we offer a variety of Total Rewards to help our colleagues navigate their lives—from caregiving support, to time away from work, to income protection and other benefits that can help make balancing everything a little easier.

Total Rewards strategies for caregivers

We are always considering the changing world and the needs of employees. To that end, I am excited to say we recently launched a new Childcare Assistance Program and have two new partnerships to enhance the Total Rewards offerings that specifically provide caregiver support.

We recognize the financial commitment related to childcare costs, that’s why, through our new Childcare Assistance Program we provide financial support for dependent care to US employees who qualify, determined by their annual base pay and/or job grade. Through this program, employees who qualify can enroll to receive a $1,500 contribution from Dow to their Dependent Care Flexible Savings Account to use towards qualifying childcare expenses.

The first new partnership is with Cariloop—a leading comprehensive caregiver support platform. Through Cariloop, our North American employees can access a robust content library and suite of digital tools to help plan and manage the care of their loved ones.

When employees need more support, they can work with a Cariloop Care Coach who can guide them through their caregiving journey as well as remove some of the burdens that come with researching and vetting resources.

Our second new partner is TOOTRiS—a trailblazing tech platform specializing in childcare solutions. Through this partnership, Dow employees will gain exclusive access to a diverse range of childcare solutions tailored to each family’s needs.

More options

TOOTRiS offers access to over 200,000 programs across the country including centers, family childcare programs, drop-in, after-school, summer camps, babysitters/nannies, and more.

Improved affordability

In addition to providing access to more options, Dow provides a stipend to help working parents reduce childcare costs when our colleagues are needed to report to work unexpectedly, and emergency childcare is needed.

Real-time availability

Parents will receive 24/7 access to TOOTRiS to easily search and enroll directly with licensed childcare providers and see real-time availability up to 12-months in advance.

Global standards for parental and family support

We put great care into considering the unique needs of families and employee benefits for caregivers. Back in 2021, we set global standards for paid time off for new parents.

These enhancements mean a guaranteed minimum of 16 weeks of parental leave for all new parents, regardless of gender and inclusive of children welcomed through adoption and fostering. At the same time, we set in place a policy for up to 3 weeks of paid time off to care for sick or injured family members.

I am a firm believer that a thoughtfully selected benefits package like Dow’s Total Rewards program leads to improved employee wellbeing, a more resilient workforce, and stronger business outcomes.

But what about you? Could you see yourself on Team Dow?

I invite you to join our Talent Community to learn more about what life at Dow could be like for you—including leads on job opportunities based on your interests.

Lisa Bryant, Chief Human Resources Officer