Here's hoping the scheme catches on...
Vodafone Ireland will offer employees 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave as the company introduces a new policy designed to support families.
From April 2020, any employee whose partner is having a baby, adopts a child or becomes a parent through surrogacy can take four months of paid leave at any time during the first 18 months of the child's life.
The new policy will launch in Ireland in April 2020 and be available to all non-birthing parents regardless of their gender, sexual orientation or length of service.
As part of the new policy, Vodafone employees will also be able to phase their return from parental leave by working the equivalent of a 30-hour week at full pay for a further six months.
The new policy complements Vodafone's existing market maternity leave policy, where mothers can avail of six months' fully paid maternity leave and return to work for 30 hours per week on full pay for another six months.
The new changes are part of a global policy from the Vodafone Group and will be available to eligible employees across Vodafone's various global markets and operations.
Vodafone Ireland CEO Anne O'Leary said: "We're proud that with this pioneering policy, all parents in our organisation can benefit from greater balance between their work and family life."
