Dhe consumer goods company Henkel is introducing “gender-neutral parental leave” for its approximately 50,000 employees around the world. This means that the DAX group tops up the statutory parental allowance to the original salary for eight weeks in the first year after the birth of a child. In Germany, fathers in particular benefit from this because there is eight weeks of maternity leave after the birth.
However, Henkel emphasizes that the regulation also applies globally and to all caregivers because most of the applicable regulations would exclude “certain family constellations,” as it said in a statement on Tuesday. By this Henkel means, for example, single fathers, adoptive parents or surrogate parents. The group's guidelines now apply in all of the approximately 80 countries in which the DAX group operates.
SAP cashed in its model again
The Düsseldorf-based company hopes to take a step towards “family friendliness and equality”, especially in countries where there is currently no statutory parental leave. “Child care is often still primarily the responsibility of the mothers,” said Sylvie Nicol, who is responsible for human resources and sustainability on the Henkel board. The initiative was intended to support expectant parents and break down traditional gender roles. “This includes encouraging fathers to dedicate themselves to their family in the first few weeks – without financial losses,” Nicol was quoted as saying in the company announcement.
According to its own information, Henkel is the first DAX company to introduce such a regulation for its employees. In September last year, the software company SAP announced a model for giving fathers or other partners time off. This involved a paid leave of absence of six weeks. Recently, however, the DAX group had distanced itself from doing so, citing the lack of plans from the federal government.
Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus (Greens) also announced a so-called “family start time” in September, which would mean a two-week paid break. However, the draft law is still being discussed, and SAP then announced that it would also review its own plans.
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