Mining equipment giant Sandvik is in the process of rolling out a new initiative that will offer gender neutral parental leave to its 41,000 employees across the globe.
Whether through birth, adoption or surrogacy, every new parent who has completed their first 12 months as a Sandvik employee will now be guaranteed 14 weeks of paid leave, whether full or part time.
Sandvik will continue to roll out the program over the next 12 months, having already seen successful implementation in 20 countries, including Canada, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia.
The program aims to ensure that countries with less generous leave entitlements will now meet the global standard, creating a common minimum baseline that provides 90 per cent of the base salary to all employees during their leave.
“Being able to spend time at home with my own sons was a privilege that has shapedme personally and professionally,” Sandvik president and chief executive officer Stefan Widing said.
“Offering all employees the same opportunity is something I’m personally committed to. I believe that work-life balance is key to both personal well-being and professional success.
“I’m happy we can now offer this benefit to all employees, and I consider it especially important that men take this opportunity.”
The program is expected to primarily directly benefit male employees and their families.
Sandvik Manufacturing Solutions human resources vice president Nidhi Gokhale said the program is a “big step forward” in the company’s commitment to inclusion and supporting the health and wellbeing of its employees.
“We believe in, and we support our people, so they can bring their best to both work and home,” Gokhale said.
“However, in many places, especially for fathers, parental leave is limited or non-existent.
“Our new benefit will help normalise shared parenting and allow all employees the opportunity to focus on their growing family.”
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