West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee Inc. is partnering with WeeCare, a child care network, adding concierge level service for all full- and regular-time employees across its eight-state region who prefer in-home child care.
WeeCare provides eligible employees access to their concierge service to find affordable, high-quality in-home child care options. Its extensive network includes qualified in-home providers in both highly populated and rural areas across the U.S.
“We’re excited to add WeeCare to our extensive list of employee benefits,” said Hy-Vee Chairman, CEO and President Randy Edeker. “Many of our employees are parents or caregivers, and having affordable, trustworthy child care when they come to work every day helps give them peace of mind. We want to be the best place to work and shop in America, and that starts with taking care of our employees.”
“Currently, only 7 percent of companies provide child care assistance to their employees,” said Jessica Chang, CEO of WeeCare. “Hy-Vee is raising the bar for organizations nationwide, and WeeCare is proud to be part of the movement to support working parents.”
WeeCare’s average tuition is generally 40 percent less expensive as it exclusively offers in-home child care, which, in addition to cost savings, means lower teacher-to-child ratios and providers located near parents’ home and work. WeeCare also works with child care providers to reduce overhead, which passes savings on to parents.
In addition to this new child care service, Hy-Vee also offers its employees free membership and unlimited access to Care.com to find caregivers, tutors, errand runners, senior caregivers, pet walkers and sitters and house cleaners.
Over the past two years, Hy-Vee has worked to enhance employee benefits as part of its mission to be the Best Place to Work in America. In 2020, Hy-Vee shared $68.7 million in bonuses to full-time employees and $6.5 million in bonuses to part-time employees. Other benefits include:
- 10 percent employee discount on groceries: Employees and their families saved more than $30.6 million in grocery discounts in 2020;
- Holiday pay: On select holidays, Hy-Vee retail employees can earn an extra $1 to $2 an hour. In 2020, more than $2.2 million was awarded in holiday pay;
- Employee appreciation bonuses: In a show of appreciation for long hours worked during COVID-19, Hy-Vee gave employees 10 percent bonuses on their hours worked during specific time frames, resulting in $28.3 million shared in additional bonuses in 2020;
- Part-time insurance: Eligible part-time employees are enrolled in a supplemental life insurance policy provided by Hy-Vee, and eligible part-time employees can select from a variety of health care plans with an employer contribution; and
- Tuition assistance: Employees and their immediate family members are eligible to enroll at Bellevue University and receive annual tuition assistance. Under the program, eligible employees can receive as much as $10,500 in tuition assistance each year.
Hy-Vee is continually seeking job applicants to join its team of more than 86,000 employees. Interested applicants can apply at hy-vee.com.
