Life Happens. We’re Here to Help. 4 Ways AT&T Supports Employees Through Life’s Unexpected Curveballs.

We’ve all been there. Going about our day and we get that dreaded phone call. Daycare is closed. The nanny is sick. An elderly relative is unexpectedly in the hospital. Or even worse, a loved one has passed away.

As part of our increased focus on employee wellbeing, we’re proud to offer full-spectrum support for employees experiencing unexpected hardships of any kind. It’s how we’re giving our people the space, time, and resources they need to prioritize taking care of themselves and their families. Especially, without worrying about what’s happening at work when the unexpected happens.

Here are some offerings we have to help our employees navigate the complexities of some of life's challenges:

1. Paid Bereavement Time Off and New Grieving Support Resource.  When a loved one passes away, it can feel all-consuming. Naturally, it takes a major toll on wellbeing. We encourage our employees to step away from work to process their grief, so they have space to manage the often-overwhelming logistics that accompany a loss. To help, we’ve rolled out a new support benefit from Empathy for all beneficiaries of MetLife group life insurance. An easy-to-use platform, Empathy helps families navigate their grief and loss journey, from providing emotional support through grief counseling to practical help on administrative tasks.
2. Paid Caregiver Time Off and Back-Up Care. Many of our employees are caregivers – either for children or elderly relatives. The pandemic showed us how challenging balancing caregiving and work can be, especially when dealing with unexpected closures. That’s why we launched Paid Caregiver Time Off (total of 15 days per calendar year) for our management employees last year. This is time off that people can use to care for children or elders without dipping into PTO. All employees have access to subsidized back-up care when there’s an unexpected care need– and can choose to use center-based or in-home care.
   
3. Sick Time Off.  It used to be seen as a badge of honor to come to work sick. We now know that’s no fun (or healthy) for anyone – including your coworkers. We want employees to take time to rest and get better – then come back to work when they’re feeling better and more productive. And as we approach cold and flu season, we especially want our employees to take time to recover when they’re not feeling their best.
4. Employee Assistance Program. We offer all employees and their families up to 8 free sessions of mental health counseling. Our platform connects our people to free, licensed counselors. It’s an easy and frictionless way to quickly talk to someone quickly when employees and their families are struggling with their mental health.  

Hardships come in different shapes and forms and it’s important that our employees can turn to our extensive offerings in times of need. We know life happens – and when it does, we’re there to help people get back to being their best selves in and outside of work.