Global food business General Mills has enhanced its parental leave policy for its 240 UK and Ireland employees as of this month.
The organisation, which introduced a shared parental leave scheme last year, is now offering three months of fully paid paternity leave to be used within the first year of a child’s life, enabling parents that do not wish to share their parental leave to spend it together.
The organisation is aiming to be more inclusive so that new fathers feel not only that they have permission to spend time away from work with their children, but that they are actively encouraged to do so. Its goal is that this will benefit all parents, regardless of gender, by creating a more equitable workplace.
Ben Pearman, managing director of General Mills UK and Ireland, said: “As we continue breaking the bias, this support will be provided regardless of gender, type of relationship, type of parentship or indeed any other potentially defining characteristic. We are focused on continuing down the path to establish a more inclusive climate and we trust that these progressions will keep on driving our desire to be the most comprehensively supportive business in our industry.”
Victoria Street, human resources director for Europe and Australia at General Mills, added: “We are one of the biggest advocates for parents and caregivers in our field, from bettering our parental leave to supporting our staff through difficult personal circumstances. As a result, it is vital that we keep improving our initiatives to promote workplace equality and inclusion. By promoting these values, we are effectively driving our business one step closer to breaking the bias around parental leave.”