Vodafone Australia has unveiled a suite of
initiatives to support employees taking paid parental leave including an option
to work four days a week and to be paid for five. And, coinciding with
International Women’s Day, the firm also released a new policy offering ten
days additional paid leave for employees experiencing domestic violence.
Vodafone said that the paid parental leave
components were part of a global policy, adding that employees at the firm’s 30
operating companies in Africa, the Middle East, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe
and the US would have access to these benefits. It noted that the domestic
violence leave changes were a Vodafone Australia initiative.
CEO Inaki Berroeta said the initiatives
were being introduced at a Group level, which he said made Vodafone one of the
first organisations in the world to introduce a mandatory minimum global
maternity policy.
“Returning to work after a period of
parental leave can be challenging,” said Berroeta. “To help parents with this
transition we’re allowing primary caregivers to work four days per week, but
still receive five days' pay for six months.”
Berroeta said the firm wanted to enable
staff wishing to return to work after the arrival of a child. “We really value
our staff, and this benefit encourages and supports women and parents to keep
working with [us].”
In addition, Vodafone is increasing the
period of paid parental leave from 14 to 16 weeks for primary caregivers, with
employees continuing to accumulate bonus and super while on paid parental
leave. “By extending the level of
support available to employees both on paid parental leave and on their return
to work, we hope parents will be able to better balance their work, family and
financial commitments,” added Berroeta.
Vodafone employees facing domestic violence
will also have access to up to ten additional days of paid leave per year. “We
recognise that the terrible reality of domestic violence can affect an
individual’s ability to attend work or perform their duties, and it is important
employees experiencing assault or abuse know they’re being supported,” said
Berroeta. “The wellbeing of our employees is one of our highest priorities, and
we’re determined to ensure they are supported and not disadvantaged due to
personal circumstances.”
The firm cited KPMG research that indicated
that global businesses could save up to an estimated $19 billion annually
through the provision of 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave.
