Global law firm Clyde & Co is rolling out a globally-consistent parental leave offering that will be available to all employees and partners with at least 12 months of service.
At its core, the offering includes 26 weeks of fully paid leave, regardless of gender or parental role, and replaces previous maternity and paternity leave entitlements to provide a consistent, cohesive offering to all employees.
It also includes: 10 days of fully paid leave for fertility treatments; four weeks of fully paid leave for pregnancy loss for women or anyone suffering a pregnancy loss; up to 12 additional weeks of paid leave for parents with children in neonatal care; consistent access to back-up childcare provision and five days of emergency leave per year; and parental transition coaching and parental leave sponsors for fee earners.
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According to a press release, the offering seeks to provide employees with greater, more inclusive support when they become parents, more effective support as they transition back to work and consistent support as they balance ongoing work and family care.
“Having access, no matter your gender to consistent and flexible parental leave is crucial to so many people both within our firm and across the wider world of work,” said Carolena Gordon, senior partner at Clyde & Co, in the release.
“We know how much goes into starting a family and the challenges that balancing home and work brings, especially when working in a high-performance environment. We want to help our people build careers with us and fulfil their potential here. We also believe our offering is an important means of improving gender diversity, particularly at a senior level where law firms have typically struggled to make significant progress.”
Kate Mathias, the law firm’s chief people officer, added the initiative was developed following conversations with its gender equality network and through our employee listening activities. “We also want to ensure as many colleagues as possible benefit from the policy, which is why we’re extending this enhanced offering to those who are already new parents or may have recently returned from parental leave.”
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