Dive Brief:

• PR agency Bospar announced via an email to HR Dive it would fund employee relocation out of Texas for any employee "needing to relocate to ensure they have control of their reproductive health."
• The company said it would offer the same benefits to employees who live in other states if those states also pass what Bospar considers restrictive reproductive healthcare laws.     
• Bospar uses a work-from-home model and has since 2015, according to the announcement.

Dive Insight:

Pressure from consumers and employees has pushed companies to speak out — and act — on a slew of politically charged topics.

This is not the first time companies have spoken out about strict abortion laws; in 2019, 180 company heads signed a letter that appeared in The New York Times condemning such laws after one passed in Alabama that year.

Companies taking a stance on social and political issues could attract talent, some surveys have shown. Those that take a stand on climate change, for example, could have an easier time attracting tech talent. Nearly half of tech workers surveyed by Blind in Feb. 2020 said a company’s efforts toward climate change influenced whether they would work there.

Sometimes current events force employers to act decisively — perhaps faster than they would have in years prior, sources told HR Dive. The insurrection at the U.S. Capitol at the beginning of the year, for instance, prompted firings of participants by numerous employers, including those that had previously expressed support for the Trump administration.

And companies that try to remain "apolitical" could find themselves in hot water. After announcing a move toward an "apolitical culture," cryptocurrency company Coinbase lost about 5% of its workforce, or some 60 people, in reaction to the stance.