H&M upgrades benefits for U.S. part time workers

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Nov 28, 2018

H&M has announced its plans to boost benefits for its part-time employees by the end of 2019. 

The announcement follows a protest held outside the retailer's Herald Square location this past June, where company employees and union activists called on H&M to increase pay and provide guaranteed hours for part-time workers, among other issues. 

The company's part-time employee benefit program will be updated first
with a new weekly schedule commitment, complete with a guarantee of a minimum of 12 hours for part-timers from March through December.

Beginning next year, employees will be provided with a new scheduling mobile app that the company said will provide more flexibility and an easier process for picking up hours and swapping shifts with fellow workers. H&M will also begin to offer six weeks of paid parental leave to eligible part time employees. 

Reviews from alleged part-time employees on H&M's Glassdoor page are mixed, with some reporting a "high workload put on part-time staff" and others reporting "great benefits."  

According to the retailer's Careers page, the company currently offers part-time employees select time away, parking and transit benefits for commuters, and a variety of discounts. However, according to a news release given by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union in July, H&M previously only wished to provide 8 guaranteed hours to its part-time workers. 

H&M currently operates over 500 stores across the United States, along with its e-commerce business and stores worldwide.