Beauty firm Coty has launched a global gender neutral parental leave policy for 11,500 employees across 36 countries.
Taking effect from 1 November, all staff regardless of gender will have access to the same number of fully paid weeks of parental leave when starting or extending a family through pregnancy, adoption or surrogacy.
The policy has been built upon Coty’s existing maternity, paternity, adoption and partner leave, guided by local regulations. The employer said this is a tangible step toward a more diverse, equitable and inclusive culture and will help to promote gender equality in pay and workplace advancement, giving each employee the choice to grow their family in the way that is right for them.
According to the business, the policy builds on its central value of ‘fearless kindness’, which it launched internally over the summer. Its processes, businesses, corporate values and people are now anchored in this philosophy and framework, which has received overwhelming support from staff around the world.
Anne Jaeckin, chief HR officer at Coty, said: “In line with our new corporate purpose, vision, and values, we are dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace for our people and tackling outdated gender stereotypes. We hope that this new policy will make a meaningful difference for new parents and support them in this very important chapter of their lives.”
Coty currently also offers its workforce an omni-working policy, which gives staff the option to work up to 50% of the month remotely.