Top Employers Bringing Modern, Mainstream Benefits to Cannabis Industry

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cannabis employers are reimagining the types of employee benefits they offer, from pet insurance and "pawternity leave" to employee assistance and wellness programs. Benefits from large corporations to small privately-owned businesses rival, even sometimes surpass, those offered by companies of comparable size in other industries.

More than half of cannabis employers offer wellness programs like health-club memberships, dedicated physical activity or meditation time, including access to virtual counseling via services like Talkspace. The industry is all-in on diversity, equity, and inclusion, with 85% of survey respondents reporting formal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies that not only address hiring, compensation, opportunity and workplace behavior, but also set standards for vendor relationships and guide community engagement.

"Brand new trends are emerging when it comes to employee benefits in the cannabis space, and many smaller companies are giving the big guys a run for their money," said Kathee Brewer, editorial director at Inc Media, parent company to mg Magazine, which conducted the survey. "It's wonderful to see so many companies incorporate robust DEI policies to help advance social equity in this industry, and take corporate social responsibility seriously. The cannabis industry is maturing rapidly, and our findings reinforce the notion that companies are upping their benefits game to attract top-tier employees."

Every company that responded to the survey has developed a work-from-home policy, providing equipment, furniture, and/or stipends to help employees transition. Remote is now routine, at least part-time, for some positions. Plus, 66% of companies offer family and medical leave, with one company providing hourly employees 160 hours of paid time off so they could care for ill family members during the height of the pandemic. Employees received a lump-sum payment at the end of the year for any hours they hadn't used.

The list of America's Top Cannabis Employers is included in mg Magazine's December issue, which also spotlights the growth strategies of high-profile multistate operators (MSOs) as cannabis transitions into a true consumer-packaged-goods market and the first wave of national cannabis brands emerge. Some MSOs are primarily focused on retail and cultivation mergers and acquisitions rather than product brand development; most are acquiring brands as unintended adjuncts to other deals. The feature also examines the question "Are publicly-traded MSOs becoming too big to innovate?"

Read mg Magazine's December issue here. Print copies are available by subscription.

About mg Magazine:

Founded in 2015, mg Magazine is the multi-platform media resource retail executives, buyers, investors, manufacturers, marketers, and agencies in the U.S. cannabis industry turn to for the expert insight and analysis they need to drive revenue and growth. By providing actionable intelligence about emerging trends, best practices, and innovation, mg's principled, unbiased, factual journalism helps the industry navigate the present while preparing for the future. Visit mgretailer.com.

Media Contact:
MATTIO Communications
Mel Trecha
[email protected]

SOURCE mg Magazine