DOHA: Vodafone announced yesterday that it will become one of the first organisations in the world to introduce a mandatory minimum global maternity policy.
By the end of 2015, women working at all levels across Vodafone’s 30 operating companies in Africa, the Middle East, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the US will be offered at least 16 weeks fully paid maternity leave, as well as full pay for a 30-hour week for the first six months after their return to work.
For Vodafone Qatar, this means its female employees starting maternity leave from now on or those already on maternity leave will benefit from one extra month (total of 112 calendar days) of paid maternity leave. Vodafone provides one of the highest maternity benefits in Qatar where the standard in the market is 50 calendar days off.
Vodafone Qatar CEO Kyle Whitehill, said: “Building a diverse and inclusive culture is one of the key priorities for our company with a specific focus on gender diversity. 28 percent of Vodafone Qatar’s employee base is made up of women, we want to retain and grow this number so have been determined to instill a culture in our company that supports, develops and rewards our female employees with the same and equal benefits that their male counterparts receive.”
The news, timed with International Women’s Day 2015, was celebrated by Vodafone Qatar’s female employees and their children who were invited to spend a few hours with their mothers at the Company’s headquarters. The announcement was made by Dalya Al Khalaf Vodafone Qatar’s Director of Strategy and Anita Tomany Head of Talent, Capability and Resourcing, as part of a whole week dedicated to Women from 8-15 March 2015 that will include competitions plus learning and networking activities.
Other than the United Nations, very few global organisations - and even fewer multinational corporations - have adopted minimum maternity policies of this kind. While a number of Vodafone subsidiaries already offer substantial maternity care terms which will continue as before, the new mandatory minimum global maternity policy will make a significant difference to the lives of thousands of Vodafone women employees in countries where there is little or no legislative requirement to provide maternity support.
Vodafone Group Chief Executive Vittorio Colao, said: “Too many talented women leave working life because they face a difficult choice between either caring for a newborn baby or maintaining their careers. Our new mandatory minimum global maternity policy will support over 1,000 Vodafone women employees every year in countries with little or no statutory maternity care.
“Women account for 35 percent of our employees worldwide but only 21 percent of our international senior leadership team. We believe our new maternity policy will play an important role in helping to bridge that gap. Supporting working mothers at all levels of our organisation will ultimately result in better decisions, a better culture and a deeper understanding of our customers’ needs.”
