Standard Life Aberdeen Plc has introduced nine months of full paid parental leave for all new mothers and fathers. In total, parents will be able to take 52 weeks in up to three separate blocks over two years in a way that suits the employee.
The new policy, which comes into force on 1 January 2020, will apply to all new mothers and fathers working for the company, including those who adopt or have a child through a surrogate.
Parents that have a premature baby will be offered additional leave to cover the period between birth and 37 weeks. Fathers and same-sex parents working for Standard Life Aberdeen will be able to take a full nine months of paid leave, without having to ask their partner to cut their time short or share their entitlement.
Rose Thomson, Chief HR Officer at Standard Life Aberdeen, commented: “When you look at that holistically it’s a policy that I’m actually really excited about, and I think it will really resonate well with our employees.
She also said, “Our organization is made up of individuals all of which have a different set of circumstances. Having a family is a wonderful experience. It’s a very real experience and I think it’s taken companies a long time to wake up and recognize that there’s a way that we can do that, a flexible way that meets the needs of the employee but also enables us to meet the needs of the business.
“And I think this policy demonstrates that we’re really out in front in terms of how we’re thinking about that. We’ve taken the opportunity to look and say, how do we really want to be moving forward? So we’re trying to make sure we’re positioning ourselves as a great employer.” She further added.
Standard Life Aberdeen plc, formerly Standard Life plc, is a United Kingdom-based global investment company. The Company operates through four segments, which include Aberdeen Standard Investments, Pensions and Savings, India and China, and Other. It employs over 6,000 people in 52 locations worldwide.
