Fidelity International has introduced equal paid parental leave, meaning that fathers and secondary carers will now be able to take the same amount of paid leave as mothers and primary carers, across all 27 of their operating locations.
In locations such as Australia, Ireland, Hong Kong, Japan, and Germany, Fidelity International currently offers only 10 days’ paternity leave. The new increase will allow fathers to take from 14 up to 26 weeks’ leave, differing based on the standard maternity leave in each location.
The new ‘enhanced parental leave’ will come into effect for children who are born, including via surrogacy or placed for adoption, on or after 1 September 2020 and will offer up to 26 weeks of paid leave for each parent employed by the company within the first 12 months of a child’s arrival.
Fidelity International says these new enhancements will ensure that all employees will be supported to spend time caring for their children, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, location or how they become a parent.
“We want to be a market leader and offer an inclusive culture where all our people may spend time caring for their children and thrive in their careers. We are therefore delighted to be announcing our new parental leave policy and are especially proud to be offering this globally to all our employees,” says Anne Richards, CEO, Fidelity International.
Sally Nelson, chief people officer, Fidelity International, adds: “Fidelity International has diversity and inclusion at its heart and treating parents equally and creating a level playing field for all genders is incredibly important to us. This family friendly policy will offer the flexibility to support childcare needs and will transform parenthood for many families.”
