Swedish car brand Volvo have shown their progressive thinking by offering equal terms on parental leave for all staff around the world.

The Scandanavian motor manufacturer is reflecting the legislation in their native country and giving 24 weeks of paid leave to all legally registered, adoptive and surrogate parents, foster carers and the move also includes non-birth parents and same-sex couples.

Volvo currently employ 40,000 staff globally and their Family Bond programme has come into force following a pilot which took place in Europe, the Middle East and Asia in 2019, where 46 per cent of those who applied for parental leave were fathers.

The offer includes 80 per cent basic pay to all who have qualified by working for the company for more than a year and the leave can be taken within the first three years of parenthood.

We want to create a culture that supports equal parenting for all genders,” said Håkan Samuelsson, Volvo’s chief executive. “When parents are supported to balance the demands of work and family, it helps to close the gender gap and allows everyone to excel in their careers.

“We have always been a family-oriented and human-centric company. Through the Family Bond programme, we are demonstrating and living our values, which in turn will strengthen our brand.”

Volvo are actively encouraging uptake of the programme and have agreed to share their results with rival manufacturers to encourage similar policies across the industry.

“This is more than a new parental leave policy for our employees. It is the embodiment of our company culture and values,” said Hanna Fager, head of corporate functions at Volvo. “We want to lead change in this industry and set a new global people standard. By opting all our employees into paid parental leave, we narrow the gender gap and get a more diverse workforce, boosting performance and strengthening our business.”

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