ABB India has announced a gender-neutral and inclusive parental program recognizing the need for both parents to be present with their newborns or a new adoptive child under 3 years of age. The inclusive approach, one of the firsts in the Indian manufacturing sector, extends similar benefits to LGBTQ couples and co-habiting partners, adoptive, and surrogacy commissioning parents.
The parental leave program forms part of ABB's "Global Diversity & Inclusion Strategy 2030", and is in line with the company's global parental program introduced last year. This program is envisioned to offer much-needed support to families so as to help them bond with their children and balance their personal and professional responsibilities. As part of this program, each employee who is the secondary caregiver will be entitled to take 4 weeks of parental leave while the primary caregiver is eligible to take 26 weeks, as per the country's maternity law.
Sanjeev Sharma, Country Head and Managing Director, ABB India said, "At ABB, we are committed to creating a diverse and equitable workplace where our employees feel valued and cared for. This gender-neutral and inclusive approach, we truly hope, will provide our people the much-needed time to be fully invested in their families and be present for important milestones. 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."
As part of ABB's 2030 sustainability strategy, the organization is committed to driving social progress, along with the suppliers and in the communities. Within the workplace, ABB India has introduced various initiatives to foster the culture of Diversity and Inclusion which includes the gender-neutral focus. For the last couple of years, a series of unconscious bias workshops have been conducted for all employees to raise awareness around the biases that one may have but is not conscious of. Local diversity councils function as a support group for women and ABB has been consistently increasing women's representation across businesses. Various initiatives are also in progress to enhance awareness, increase access and make the workplace more inclusive.
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( With inputs from ANI )
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