Maternity/paternity Leave
Guinness does good by its women, and its men too
Guinness Nigeria Plc is leading the charge towards making the workplace as warm and as cozy as the home place. And in doing this, the company has taken the unprecedented step of giving its female staff 26 weeks leave with full pay while its male staff whose better half are pregnant now get four weeks leave, fully paid. Wow! That’s a whole beautiful lot to look forward to.
As it now stands, of the commotion that happens around pregnancy time will pipe down considerably amongst members of the Guinness family. The women are henceforth challenged, even more than before, to put in their best for the company before putting to bed, knowing what great sacrifice the company is making to ensure they have enough time to recover from the stress of pregnancy and delivery and also a lot more time than was hitherto the case to bond with their newborn kids.
It’s a huge plus for advocates of women’s rights in the workplace. And while this may not have met all their expectations, it is truly unprecedented. This is clearly an improvement on what Access Bank started in 2018 when it granted its male staff one week fully paid leave to be with their new kids. The expectation at the time was that Access would equally increase the period for maternity leave. It didn’t. Guinness has raised the bar quite high. And it’s a good thing if other
corporates consider this the new benchmark that they must strive to match and if possible surpass.
The company says this new HR policy is about inclusion and its keen sensitivity to the needs of its diverse workforce where barriers to career progression are removed and talent is retained and nurtured.
Baker Magunda, Guinness Managing Director, said, “We are committed to our focus on inclusion and diversity, and this takes various forms – from supporting and empowering graduates and female leaders within the business to this parental leave policy change. We believe it is a truly forward looking decision to accelerate our work in equality for employees and their families.”
Bola Olajomi-otubu, the company’s Human Resources Director, also noted with delight that “it is a pleasure to be a part of the team facilitating this change in the business. Parental leave gives both mothers and fathers the chance to spend quality time with their child in the important first months of life, creating a bond that will last a lifetime. Employers can reap the benefits too – flexibility in work is proven to create happier, more loyal and more productive workforces.”
The company said and it is clear to see that its commitment to championing diversity and inclusion across its business is driven at the very highest level. Women currently make up 30% of the Board and 45% of the executive leadership team. These efforts are supported by a range of dedicated employee networks such as the Guinness Nigeria Spirited Women’s network; creating opportunities for women not just within the business, but in the wider society. The company says it is proud (deservedly so, we might add), to have received many ‘Great Place to Work’ Awards; most recent one being the 2018 ‘Great Place To Work’ Master Awards Hall of Fame.
‘Big ups’ to Guinness. Let’s see more companies equal this new standard or go one better.