Meijer Improves Benefits for Military Member Employees
Starting this month, Meijer is updating benefits for active-duty team members on military leave. Among other updates, the Midwest retailer will now offer 100% income replacement for up to nine months for deployed military members who have been with the company at least one year and offer the same percentage of assistance for up to three months for those who have been employed less than a year.
In addition to changes to differential pay, Meijer is extending health benefits for up to nine months after employees leave active military duty. This enhancement is intended to reduce the stress of deployment.
Meijer team members who have serve their country shared the impact that the company’s benefits have had on their lives and careers. “I knew it was the right decision to come to Meijer," said Jeremiah Hernandez who was in the U.S. Army from 2001-2011 and is now store director for the Knapp’s Corner Meijer in Grand Rapids. "Meijer has a long history of showing appreciation and gratitude, and these enhanced benefits improve on an already great track record that makes Meijer a great place for veterans to work. These benefits will help alleviate the financial and emotional strain deployment can cause.”
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Garret Duke, a store support specialist at Meijer and Company First Sargeant in the Michigan Army National Guard, echoed that sentiment. "I have been serving for over 23 years. It's a lot to balance a career at Meijer and balance life in the military at the same time,” he remarked. “These benefits will help alleviate stressors that our service members may have. If I was to deploy, especially to a potentially dangerous environment, it would give me peace of mind and less stress over financials while leaving my family for an extended period of time."
Michelle Hall, Meijer’s SVP and CHRO, reiterated Meijer’s commitment to active miliary members and veterans, including those deployed or returning from deployment. "We applaud the honor, courage, and sacrifice put forth by those who serve our country, as well as that of their families," she declared. "But we know supporting our military team members goes beyond recognizing their service. It's about being there for them with resources while they're on the job and lessening stress and barriers through enhanced benefits.”
To Hall’s point, Meijer is a staunch supporter of members of the armed forces. In 2020, the company launched a team member resource group called mVets and in 2022 became the first retailer to earn the Gold-level status as a Veteran-Friendly Employer (VFE) from the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency.
Privately owned Meijer operates 500-plus supercenters, Meijer Grocery, neighborhood markets and Express locations throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company is No. 23 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company one of its Retailers of the Century and one of its 10 Most Sustainable Grocers for 2024.
