DOHA: Vodafone said yesterday it will become one of the first organisations in the world to introduce a mandatory minimum global maternity policy.
By the year-end, 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 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.
Kyle Whitehill, CEO, Vodafone Qatar, said: “Building a diverse and inclusive culture is one of the key priorities for our company with a focus on gender diversity. Twenty-eight percent of our employee base is made up of women, we want to retain and grow this number and are determined to instil a culture in our company that supports, develops and rewards our female employees with same and equal benefits their male counterparts receive.”
The announcement coinciding with International Women’s Day, was celebrated by Vodafone Qatar’s female employees and their children invited to spend a few hours with their mothers at the company’s headquarters.
The announcement was made by Dalya Al Khalaf, Director of Strategy, Vodafone Qatar, and Anita Tomany, Head of Talent, Capability and Resourcing, as part of a week dedicated to women from today until March 15 that will include competitions and learning and networking activities. Other than the United Nations, very few global organisations and fewer multinational corporations have adopted minimum maternity policies of this kind.
While many Vodafone subsidiaries offer substantial maternity care terms which will continue as before, the new mandatory minimum global maternity policy will make a significant difference in the lives of thousands of Vodafone women employees in countries where there is little or no legislative requirement to provide maternity support.
Vittorio Colao, Chief Executive, Vodafone Group, said: “Too many talented women leave working life because they face a difficult choice between caring for a newborn 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 bridge that gap. Supporting working mothers at all levels of our organisation will result in better decisions, a better culture and a deeper understanding of our customers’ needs.”
The Peninsula
