Career Development: Axa launches global parental leave and support policy for staff

Launching on 1 January 2017, the policy is designed to support its employees in all of the 64 countries it operates in, including same-sex couples, adoptive and single parents.

Axa will now refer to parents as either the “primary parent” or “co-parent” in acknowledgement of different types of family structures.

The primary parent will receive 16 weeks fully paid leave with a return to an equivalent role with the same terms and conditions.

The co-parent will get four weeks fully paid leave with a return to an equivalent role with the same terms and conditions. This is a substantial increase compared to the one week’s paid paternity leave offered by Axa UK today.

Thomas Buberl, CEO of Axa, said: “We have a global culture which supports our employees and allows them to have fulfilling professional and personal lives.

“Our values demand that all our employees are respected and their individual differences are celebrated.

“This first global policy will give all our employees, wherever they work in the world, the ability to enjoy the most precious time with the new additions to their families secure in the knowledge that Axa will support them.”

Axa will also provide support before, during and after the period of parent leave, including links to local childcare, private rooms at work for breastfeeding mothers and extra days’ leave to care for sick children.

Where local laws or current benefits go beyond the provisions in the new policy, their greater benefit will continue to be applied.