Danone North America has expanded its parental leave policy for all its manufacturing staff to promote shared parental responsibility and gender equity for all, in a bid to become one of the most parent-friendly companies in the world.
The newly enhanced gender-neutral parental leave policy now provides all of its 5,700 US employees 18 weeks of leave after the birth or adoption of their child. The policy – effective company-wide today – is an evolution of the company’s previous practice of providing its frontline manufacturing employees up to two weeks of paid leave, in addition to allowing the use of paid time off or vacation for such absences, said the company.
The new policy can be taken anytime within the first year of a child’s birth or adoption date, and is applicable to either parent, recognising that parenting is a shared responsibility between caregivers. It is intended to create a more equitable workplace, and in doing so, it challenges traditional assumptions on caregiving to help advance equality for all.
ADVANCING PARENTAL EQUITY FOR ALL
“At Danone, family is important to us. We understand how special – and also how challenging – welcoming a new child into the world can be. That’s why we are proud to support all our Danone parents, of all genders, in our factories and our offices, as they bond with their newest family member,” said Shane Grant, CEO at Danone North America. “Our hope is that we will inspire others and help advance parental leave equity outside our walls, as well.”
Across the United States, Danone North America partners with the International Union of Food (IUF), the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers’ International Union (BCTGM) and the Teamsters. “Danone’s family-first approach to supporting its teams sets it apart from so many of its peers in the industry. We believe an offering like this provides a huge value not only to its employees, but has equally significant impacts for families and the communities where Danone operates,” added Mark Lauritsen, International Vice President at UFCW.
RISE IN SHARED PARENTAL RESPONSIBILTY
According to the National Partnership for Women and Families, only 9% of US companies offer paid paternity leave to male employees. And, while many manufacturing companies have begun to expand their paid parental leave in recent years, policies continue to differentiate between primary and secondary caregivers – further reinforcing traditional family roles, even while American family dynamics and needs evolve.
Recent research from the Council on Contemporary Families also shows an 11% rise in equal responsibilities shared between mothers and fathers since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, indicating a larger social change that Danone intends to support. In fact, encouraging gender-neutral policy that helps dads engage more and earlier in their children’s lives has broader and longer-term benefits, too; just one of which is that it impacts women’s income and consequently, their families’ financial security. Research from Sweden shows that each additional month of parental leave taken by a father increases the mother’s wages by nearly 7%.
PARENT-FRIENDLY COMPANY
Danone’s new policy is in line with the global commitment that it made back in 2017, as part of the UN Women’s HeForShe initiative. The company aims to become one of the most parent-friendly companies in the world, through policies such as a global gender-neutral paid parental leave policy. In addition, the company’s commitment to inclusive diversity includes creating an environment in which all employees feel a sense of belonging and support. Ensuring its manufacturing teams can care for their families while also maintaining employment security is a critical part of this commitment, confirmed Danone. For employees expanding their families through adoption, the company provides adoption assistance up to $6,000 and it further supports a more inclusive economy by providing a living wage to all its colleagues.
Within its communities, Danone has long partnered with the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Programme through product donations and policy improvements to allow for more families to access the programme. Recently, the company also signed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, to provide accommodations for pregnant women to minimise risk to their pregnancies at work.
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