Vodafone enhances support for employees’ key life stages

Telecoms firm Vodafone has increased its support offering when it comes to the key life stages employees go through.

In particular, the new commitments have been introduced to ensure greater support for carers and parents, which includes added assistance, more flexibility and extended paid and unpaid leave.

The firm’s new carer’s leave will offer those who look after loved ones who are older, seriously ill or disabled with 18 weeks leave per adult, the first week of which will be fully paid.

This move mirrors the company’s parental leave policy which offers the same benefit for those caring for a child, up to the point they turn 18, with a maximum of four weeks’ leave to be taken in a year, Vodafone shared in a release.

In addition, there is now free access to a care concierge service, which offers support and assistance to staff who find themselves balancing elderly caring responsibilities with employment.

Commenting on the new support measures, Clare Corkish, HR director at Vodafone UK, stated that the changes have been made “in the belief” they can have a positive impact on each and every staff member.

“As an employer we are committed to helping protect and support our people and their families through important life stages,” she explained.

“These new policy changes have been made in the belief that we can have a positive impact at a time when people are dealing with sensitive and stressful situations – and ultimately need support the most.

“Our ground-breaking maternity leave, parental leave, domestic violence and abuse policy and more recently our global menopause commitment have all been curated to best meet the needs of our employees and we expect these enhancements to make a real difference.”

Following feedback from the wider workforce, Vodafone enhanced its existing maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave policies to support parents born prematurely.

The changes to the policy recognise that when a baby is premature, staff may want to delay the start of their leave until the baby is discharged from hospital. According to the business, this is often the point at which time away from work is most valuable, therefore employees have the option to adapt their leave to suit them.

Finally, UK workers will see the roll out of two weeks paid leave for expectant parents, regardless of gender, who lose a baby before the 24th week of pregnancy.

Inclusion is ‘integral’

Vodafone has set out plans to boost inclusion within the business too, as it pointed out that it is “integral” to its purpose.

With that in mind, its goal is for women to hold 45% of UK management and leadership roles by 2030.

The firm has in place gender target monitoring, action plans and has developed a series of global programmes to help it meet its ambition to be recognised as a leading employer for women.

This includes progressive flexible working policies, maternity and paternal leave that supports families to share caring responsibilities, a commitment to menopause and a domestic violence and abuse policy and more.

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