ABB Expands Parental Leave Program

By Maitane Sardon

Swiss engineering company ABB Ltd. will offer its employees in locations outside Sweden 12 weeks of paid parental leave, the company said Friday.

ABB said the new benefits apply to all its 105,000 employees in roughly 100 countries. Under the new program, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2022, primary caregivers--regardless of their sex--will receive 12 weeks of paid leave and secondary caregivers will receive four weeks.

Employees who are adopting a child, becoming a parent through surrogacy or whose parent is having a child are also entitled to paid parental leave, ABB said.

"Building and fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion... represents a foundation for innovation and better decision making," said ABB's Chief Human Resources Officer Carolina Granat.

ABB said employees will be able to take the leave at any time within the first year of the baby's birth and will be guaranteed the right to return to the same job as before, or a similar job with the same or better conditions.

ABB said the exact timeline of the roll-out in each country will depend on the local circumstances, adding that if the local legislative standards are more generous than ABB's benefits, the local standards will apply.

Write to Maitane Sardon at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 18, 2021 06:12 ET (10:12 GMT)

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