Bensons for Beds has announced a series of "industry-leading" family-friendly benefits for all of its 1,800 members of staff, as part of its commitment to being "a great place to work".
Launching on 1st October 2025, these new policies are designed to support working parents and families through some of life’s most important and challenging moments. They follow feedback from last year’s Great Place to Work survey, where colleagues shared what matters most to them.
Highlights of the new package include: 26 weeks of fully paid maternity leave – a first for the UK bed retail industry, says the retailer, putting Bensons on par with major FTSE 100 retailers such as M&S; adoption leave now matches maternity leave, offering 26 weeks' full pay; paternity leave doubled, increasing from two weeks to four weeks' full pay; and flexible return-to-work benefit for mothers after maternity leave – 50% of contracted hours for two weeks at 100% pay.
It also promises enhanced support in difficult times, including: two weeks' fully paid parental bereavement leave (previously statutory only); 12 weeks' fully paid neonatal care leave; two weeks' fully paid leave for pregnancy loss; and gifts with purpose – every new parent receives a gift from From Babies With Love, a charity that donates all profits to support vulnerable and abandoned children around the world.
Carrie Westwell, director of people at Bensons for Beds, says: “We know our colleagues’ lives don’t stop at the end of the working day – and we want to be there for them through life’s big milestones. These new family benefits have been shaped by our colleagues’ feedback and are designed to make a meaningful difference – whether that’s through enhanced maternity and paternity leave or extra support in more difficult circumstances. This is about putting people at the heart of our business, every single day.”
The launch of these family-first policies is just one element of a major overhaul of Bensons’ benefits package this year. Other recent enhancements include: salary sacrifice options for pensions and electric car leasing; extended life assurance cover for all staff; enhanced staff discounts on products; increased holiday allowances; and company-funded income protection for all 1,800 members of staff.
"These improvements have been rolled out during the last few months across the business, underlining the company’s focus on supporting colleagues as whole people – at work, at home, and at every stage of life," Bensons concludes.
