04-19-2022
As various states around the country begin increasing restrictions on abortion, Yelp became one of several companies to ease access for its employees. Citigroup had previously announced it would cover traveling expenses for its employees. Uber and Lyft have offered to pay the legal fees for their Texas drivers sued for driving someone to an abortion clinic. The Texas law allows suits against individuals helping someone to access an abortion. Salesforce told its employees last year that it would help them relocate if they were concerned about abortion access in their state.
Yelp said it will cover expenses for its 4000 employees and their dependents needing to travel out-of-state for abortion services. “As a remote-first company with a distributed workforce, this new benefit allows our U.S. employees and their dependents to have equitable access to reproductive care, regardless of where they live.” According to the New York Times, Yelp has just 200 employees in Texas, where strict restrictions have already been put into place. Yelp’s chief diversity officer, Miriam Warren, made the announcement. Warren said Yelp made this decision to help the company maintain a “more diverse and inclusive workforce.” She further stated, “The ability to control your reproductive health, and whether or when you want to extend your family, is absolutely fundamental to being able to be successful in the workplace.”
Under Yelp’s new policy, employees will submit receipts for travel expenses directly to the company’s health insurance. No employees at the company will know who is accessing abortions or using this benefit. Thus, any reimbursement will also come directly from the insurance provider.