ABB India has announced a gender neutral parental leave policy wherein both parents of a new born or a newly adopted child up to three years of age will be entitled for the leave benefits. To make it more inclusive, the policy has also been extended to LGBTQ couples and co-habiting partners, adoptive and surrogacy commissioning parents.
The gender-neutral parental programme is part of the Company’s global parental policy which was introduced last year. As per the policy, the secondary caregiver is entitled for a four-week parental leave and the primary caregiver is entitled for 26 weeks of parental leave, as per the maternity law in India. The new parental policy is also part of ABB’s Global Diversity & Inclusion Strategy 2030.
“At ABB, we are committed to creating a diverse and equitable workplace where our employees feel valued and cared for,” says Sanjeev Sharma, Country Head and Managing Director, ABB India.
With this gender-neutral and inclusive measure, the firm hopes to provide its employees “the much-needed time to be fully invested in their families and be present for important milestones”.
Sharma adds, “We believe the focus on such gender-neutral programs will cascade across various sectors to build more inclusive workplaces, as the Indian industry strides into the next level of sustainable growth”.
ABB (short for ASEA Brown Boveri) India has introduced various other policies to foster a diverse and inclusive environment. The Company has been working to sensitise its employees to remove various biases. It runs various unconscious bias workshops and the local DE&I councils support ABB in its efforts to increase the representation of women in the Company.
