Zurich Australia announces new Family Care Policy

 

Zurich Australia has announced a new Family Care Policy that recognises all family circumstances and supports a fair, diverse and inclusive workplace.

Acknowledging that every family is different, the new approach to Family Care will support every employee regardless of gender, gender identity or sexual orientation and enable everyone to take paid leave as they welcome new family members or manage various circumstances related to family care.

Effective 21 December 2020, the Family Care Policy will replace Zurich’s existing Parental Leave Policy. It has the following key inclusions:

• The new policy is inclusive of birth, adoption, surrogacy, IVF, miscarriage and stillbirth.
• Primary Parents – 16 weeks paid leave with the ability to request up to 2 years of leave.
• Co-Parents – 6 weeks paid leave plus additional unpaid leave.
• Superannuation contributions on unpaid leave for primary parents.
• Removal of all tenure requirements, including probation.
• Personal and long service leave will continue to accrue during unpaid leave for primary parents.

The Family Care Policy will position Zurich as one of the leading employers in the Australian insurance industry based on parental leave benefits.

A key component of the Family Care Policy is the introduction of superannuation contributions on unpaid leave for primary parents.

Justin Delaney, CEO Life & Investments, said, “The introduction of superannuation contributions on unpaid leave supports our commitment to reducing the retirement savings ‘super gap’ most often experienced by women. These contributions will help drive more equitable outcomes of retirement savings over time”.

Tim Plant, CEO General Insurance, said, “This is the next step in Zurich’s journey towards achieving equality for our people, as part of our wider aim to create a brighter, more sustainable workplace that puts our people first”.

To ensure Zurich is as inclusive as possible and appropriately reflects the reality of families today, the new policy was developed in consultation with two key employee resource groups – the Women’s Innovation Network and PrideZ – representing diverse voices across Zurich’s workforce.

Sue Maher, Head of Human Resources, said, “Our new Family Care Policy reflects the many different voices of our diverse workforce, ensuring inclusivity and better supporting the range of family circumstances we see across Australia today”.

Zurich’s approach to Family Care across Australia supports Zurich Group’s global aspiration to create a fair, diverse and inclusive workplace with progressive and flexible support for all employees.

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