Vodafone pioneers global maternity policy across 30 countries
Article continues below
A number of Vodafone subsidiaries already offer substantial maternity care terms.
Other than the United Nations, very few global organisations - and even fewer multinational corporations - have adopted minimum maternity policies of this kind.
While a number of Vodafone subsidiaries already offer substantial maternity care terms which will continue as before, the new mandatory minimum global maternity policy will make a significant difference to the lives of thousands of Vodafone women employees in countries where there is little or no legislative requirement to provide maternity support.
Vodafone also announced today the outcome of analysis commissioned from KPMG* which indicates that global businesses could save up to an estimated $19 billion annually through the provision of 16 weeks of fully paid maternity leave.
KPMG estimated that recruiting and training new employees to replace women who do not stay in the workforce after having a baby costs global businesses $47 billion every year; offering women 16 weeks of fully paid maternity leave rather than the statutory minimum would cost businesses an additional $28 billion a year; and if businesses were able to retain more women in the workforce after their maternity leave, they could save up to $19 billion a year and would retain the knowledge and experience of these women with positive consequences for productivity and effectiveness.
Additionally, KPMG estimated that offering mothers a global return-to-work policy equivalent to a four-day week at full pay for their first six months back to work after maternity leave could save working mothers a cumulative $14 billion in childcare for their new babies; and a four-day week would enable mothers to spend a cumulative 608 million additional days with their newborn babies. ■