The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) has turn into the newest British enterprise, and the primary main retailer, to equalise the parental depart it provides staff.
The worker-owned retailer, which encompasses John Lewis and Waitrose, will supply all of its 80,000-strong workforce six months’ paid parental depart, in a transfer welcomed by equality campaigners who argued the federal government’s present shared parental depart scheme is “failing”.
Workers, often called companions, will even be provided two weeks’ paid depart in the event that they expertise the lack of a being pregnant, following different companies similar to Monzo, Abel & Cole and Channel 4 which just lately introduced comparable insurance policies.
Chair of the John Lewis Partnership, Dame Sharon White, mentioned the measures have been a part of a package deal to enhance equality within the enterprise. “We wish John Lewis and Waitrose to be a spot for everybody and for folks from all walks of life to really feel valued to allow them to thrive in our enterprise,” she mentioned.
“We need to be there for our companions to help them in vital life moments, whether or not that’s getting into the world of labor for the primary time, or turning into a father or mother,” she added.
The equalised depart will come into place this autumn for workers who’ve been working on the firm for a 12 months. It should give companions 26 weeks of paid depart, with 14 at full pay and 12 at half pay.
The corporate additionally introduced insurance policies to advertise range within the workforce and mentioned all future job vacancies might be marketed as versatile. Workplace-based employees might be given the choice of “blended” working this month, with the flexibility to decide on when to separate time between work and residential.
The transfer comes regardless of a troublesome 12 months for John Lewis, which reported its first-ever full-year loss in March and confirmed plans to completely shut eight extra shops, with the potential lack of nearly 1,500 jobs.
Adrienne Burgess, joint chief government of the Fatherhood Institute, a thinktank, mentioned: “It’s nice to see John Lewis becoming a member of the ranks of prime employers giving every new mom and father particular person entitlement to well-paid depart for parenting. Prime employers like John Lewis are leapfrogging the federal government’s failing shared parental depart system to provide households what they really need and wish.”
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