Multinational food products organization Danone Inc. is launching its first global parental policy, aiming to offer a consistent standard of support too all employees around the world.
The organization, which has its headquarters in France and has operations in Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa and the United States, intends to gradually roll out the new policy with the aim to be fully operational by the end of 2020.
The policy is an effort to offer a common level of support from the start of a pregnancy to the baby’s second year of life. It will also extend parental leave provisions for women, men and adoptive parents.
Read: How to bridge the parental leave divide
“Starting a family brings many joys and challenges to those wanting to build successful careers. However, one should not need to come at the expense of the other,” said Lorna Davis, Danone’s chief manifesto catalyst, in a press release. “Our parental policy aims to give everyone the opportunity to achieve their personal, family and professional ambitions, irrespective of gender.”
Danone’s new policy includes:
- Prenatal support: The organization will offer all expectant mothers adapted working conditions, allocated time off for prenatal medical appointments and nutritional advice.
- Extended parental leave: The organization will offer all parents full paid-time off following the birth of a child, including 18 weeks of primary caregiver leave for the birth parent, 14 weeks for an adoptive parent and 10 working days for the secondary caregiver.
- Post-natal support: The organization will support breastfeeding by providing lactation rooms for mothers at offices that employ more than 50 women. It will also offer job protection policies, back-to-work programs and flexible working conditions at all offices.
Danone is the latest in a number of employers that are improving parental leave benefits for employees.
Read: Starbucks expands parental leave for U.S. employees
Read: Coca-Cola to ramp up benefits for new parents
Read: EY enhances benefits for working parents
Read: Microsoft expands parental leave, improves 401(k) plan
Read: Netflix offers U.S. workers paid maternity, paternity leave