Supporting Our Military-Connected Community This Veterans Day

Our long-standing commitment to military employees dates back to the late 1800s, when Johnson & Johnson supported employees who served in the military by paying their salaries and holding their positions while they served. Understanding the big picture, delegating responsibilities to ensure the success of a mission and serving a cause larger than yourself are among the many skills active-duty service members and veterans bring when they transition back to civilian life and employment. The sense of community, camaraderie and commitment to excellence also instill a unique sense of purpose and service that prepares the military-connected community for their next mission.

We believe it is critically important that we recognize and acknowledge the unique challenges our military colleagues and their families face. Hearing from veterans, including our President of Neuroscience, Courtney Billington, who earlier in his career was an active-duty officer during the Gulf War, has shaped the benefits we offer today. As we celebrate the selfless contributions of veterans across the country on November 11, I’m proud to share that Johnson & Johnson is expanding our paid military leave benefits for employees in the United States and Puerto Rico.

These expanded benefits put Our Credo values into action and will enable us to better support the health and well-being of our military-connected community from active-duty service members to veterans, military families, and military and veteran caregivers.

Our military families make countless sacrifices when an active-duty partner is deployed or when they need to move due to the ever-changing nature of military assignments. To help our employees fulfill their family and other personal responsibilities, we are introducing a first-of-its-kind benefit for military spouses that provides up to 10 days of paid time off for when their families experience challenging situations arising from military service.

More than 90% of military spouses are women, and they can face substantial roadblocks in maintaining employment because of the sacrifices their families make due to required military moves. This additional time off for military spouses allows them to be present at home, while taking care of their family’s needs and supporting their partner during uncertain circumstances.

In addition to the unexpected hardships military spouses face, we also know that active service members can be called to duty for many reasons, such as mandatory training, overseas deployments, humanitarian crises worldwide or supporting natural disasters in their communities. To help ensure that our U.S. Armed Forces National Guard and Reserve service members receive full pay and benefits while nobly serving our country and communities across the world, we are extending the duration of our military leave benefit from 2 years to 3 years.

These expanded benefits build on a strong foundation of programs to support our military-connected community, including providing additional Employee Assistance Program benefits for the service member employee and their family, as well as a paid transition period to ease the return to the workplace following longer deployments.

We are incredibly proud and grateful for our veteran and active-duty colleagues, and their spouses and caregivers, and we thank them for their service and their commitment to our collective mission of changing the trajectory of health for humanity.?