John Keells Group introduces equal parental leave

John Keells Group has expanded its parental leave to provide its more than 14,000 employees with an equal 100 days, as of this month.

The group, which operates more than 70 businesses across seven industry sectors in Sri Lanka, has increased the number of paternity leave days it offers from five to 100 on the birth or adoption of a child as part of a step towards strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion and recognising the importance of both parents in early childcare.

John Keells Group has introduced flexibility as to how employees take the 100 days of parental leave, to reflect that each family may have unique circumstances.

According to the group, it drives diversity, equity, and inclusion under the brand One JKH and is working toward achieving gender parity. It does this by increasing female participation in the workforce and empowering women in the supply chain and communities, in an effort to increase career opportunities for workers with disabilities and ensure inclusivity of the LGBTIQ+ community.

Krishan Balendra, chairperson of John Keells Group, said: “One of the key objectives of offering equal number of maternity and paternity leave days is to eliminate discrimination associated with recruiting women, due to potential instances of maternity leave. With the group’s five-year goal of achieving 40% women in the workforce, it is imperative that we address gender biases at every stage of a person’s career within the John Keells Group.”