Danish company triples maternity leave for some employees to keep them in work

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The Maersk Group, a Danish company involved in a range of activities in the shipping, logistics and the oil and gas industries, is introducing improved maternity benefits in a bid to increase the retention of women employees following childbirth.

Under the new policy that comes into effect from April 4 this year, female employees will be guaranteed a minimum of 18 weeks maternity leave on full contractual pay and subject to local workforce regulations.

A global initiative, the programme will improve terms for women working for Maersk in at least 51 countries out of the 130 in which the group operates.

In the US, more than 1,200 women employed by the company will be eligible for 18 weeks of paid leave – tripling their statutory paid leave of 6 weeks. In India the typical 12 weeks of paid maternity leave will now be 18 weeks.

The group is hoping the scheme will bring the retention rate of women employees to 90 per cent, up from the current 70 per cent.

“This new policy supports our aim to retain the talented women working in the Group and attract even more to gain access to future and wider talent pools and strengthen our business results,” Lucien Alziari, Head of Group HR said.

In countries such as Danemark, with a parental leave system among the most generous and flexible in the EU, the minimum of 18 weeks paid leave (included in the initiative) will not be an improvement.

But the Danish shipping and energy conglomerate’s new scheme will also include a “Return to Work” for a smoother transition back to work.

Female onshore employees will have the option to work 20 per cent less hours while receiving a full salary for up to six months after returning to the office.

Maersk employs more than 23,000 women, but an average of 500 female workers go on maternity leave each year.

The new policy also include one week of paternity leave. The company provides longer parental leave to the primary care-taker regardless of whether it’s a man or a woman.

In the UK a new rule enable parents to share up to 50 weeks off work, but it remains difficult to do for many.

In stark contrast to statutory maternity pay, where the first six weeks are paid at 90 per cent of the parent’s actual weekly earnings, shared parental leave is paid over 37 weeks at only £138.18 a week – half the £260 a week paid to those on the national minimum wage. The remaining 13 weeks are unpaid.

Only 45 per cent of businesses are likely to offer anything above the statutory minimum, according to a second report issued by Workingmums.co.uk and My Family Care.

Based on a survey of 200 British companies and organisations, it reveals how one in five does not offer any maternity benefits over the legal minimum.