1. Employee voices can drive change
Eric recalls a company-wide town hall when he first started at Neiman Marcus. During the Q&A, an employee asked what he was going to do about the fact that they don’t have any paid leave.
That moment stuck with him - in his words, he “never forgot it” - and it was that experience that helped put paid leave higher on his priority list.
“It is important for employees to push company leadership on this,” Eric said. “It matters. It has an influence.”
2. You need internal advocates - including outside of HR
As Chief People Officer, Eric knew how to build the business case. But without cross-functional backing, it wouldn’t have moved forward.
He partnered with finance to model the costs - and leaned on P&L leaders like Stefanie, who led a large portion of the company’s workforce and had firsthand experience navigating parental leave.
“People think these decisions happen between the CEO and HR,” Eric said. “But in reality, you need business leaders willing to take on the risk with you.”
Stefanie had her first child before the new policy was in place and returned to work after just a few months. She was vocal during that time about the need for stronger support.
When she had her second child while in a C-suite role, she was able to take five months of leave under the new policy - an experience that reinforced just how critical the change had been.
3. Persistence moves things forward
Even with a strong business case and internal alignment, the policy change didn’t happen overnight.
Eric had a team member who was deeply passionate about the issue. She asked about it constantly. Pushed for answers. Questioned the delay.
Her persistence helped him take the final leap - and bring the proposal to the CEO:
“She pushed me and pushed me and pushed me,” he said. “And I finally said: I think we can figure out how to do this.”
That reminder is important for anyone waiting on change. You may not get a yes right away - but that doesn’t mean your voice isn’t being heard.
The takeaway: Want better policies? Speak up!
Behind every major policy shift is a chorus of voices - employees raising the issue, HR leaders running the numbers and business leaders backing it up.
Because paid leave doesn’t just pass when people believe in it. It passes when advocates and leaders collectively prove it’s good for employees and the business.
