Standard Chartered launches 100-day maternity leave policy

Thursday, 8 March 2012 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Standard Chartered has launched a policy which entitles its employees to 100 days of maternity leave, which is a first in Sri Lanka.

Reiterating its brand promise ‘Here for good’ the first-in-country maternity leave policy was launched today coinciding with International Women’s Day. The new policy entitles eligible Standard Chartered employees to one hundred working days of paid maternity leave on the birth of their first or second child, and 50 working days of paid maternity leave for a third child and any subsequent children. In addition to this, the bank already offers paternity leave and adoption leave to its employees.

Standard Chartered will continue to pay the employee at full pay for the duration of the leave and the employee will suffer no loss of earnings during this period.

Head of Human Resources Deshika Rodrigo said, “We are very proud to launch this new policy on International Women’s Day. As over 48% of the bank’s employees are female, the new policy will ensure that a young mother spends adequate time with her newborn until the baby is at an age to be taken care of by a caregiver. In addition to this, our crèche takes care of children aged six months and older. This allows female employees to continue their careers without the worries of quality childcare.” She added, “We provide various types of benefits to our employees to ensure that employees have time to achieve meaningful work-life balance.”

Standard Chartered believes in ensuring continuous career progression for its female employees and boasts of five female management committee members (all mothers), in its 10-member team.

Standard Chartered is a leading international bank, listed on the London, Hong Kong and Mumbai stock exchanges. It has operated for over 150 years in some of the world’s most dynamic markets and earns more than 90 per cent of its income and profits in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

This geographic focus and commitment to developing deep relationships with clients and customers has driven the bank’s growth in recent years.

With 1,700 offices in 70 markets, Standard Chartered offers exciting and challenging international career opportunities for more than 85,000 staff. It is committed to building a sustainable business over the long term and is trusted worldwide for upholding high standards of corporate governance, social responsibility, environmental protection and employee diversity. The bank’s heritage and values are expressed in its brand promise, ‘Here for good’.