Carling owner Molson Coors has launched a new UK equal parent leave policy which will entitle all new parents to up to 52 weeks of leave, regardless of gender or path to parenthood.
The leave period includes 26 weeks fully paid and a further 12 fully paid for neonatal care if needed.
All parents will also qualify for up to 10 paid keeping in touch days and paid antenatal appointments, while those taking more than 26 weeks leave will qualify for a phased return to work for the first four weeks, working 80% of their hours while receiving 100% pay.
Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning
The new policy marks the latest step in the drink company’s ambition to become a more inclusive employer.
Last year, Molson Coors decided to scrap CVs for certain roles to encourage a more diverse range of applicants and in 2019, it launched ‘life leave’ – giving employees an extra two weeks of annual leave to use for significant life moments such as moving house.
Molson Coors managing director for western Europe Phil Whitehead: “We’re always looking at ways to drive for more gender diversity at every level of our business, and to create a more inclusive and equitable work experience for everyone. Our new equal parent leave policy is a really important next step to achieving those ambitions.
“As a business that is part of a typically male-dominated industry, we have an opportunity to help breakdown those stereotypes and help to challenge the ‘secondary carer’ label -which is often taken on by new fathers. We want to make it easier for fathers to be able to take more time away from work as a new parent, because we know that by doing that we are also helping to give mother’s more choice and families the opportunity to start that parenting journey on a more equal footing.”
