National Australia Bank (NAB) launched an enhanced parental leave policy in Asia in June 2016 to ensure that parental leave is available to all eligible employees regardless of gender and marital status. This includes the option for primary carers to take unpaid leave for a period of up to 12 months, of which NAB pays up to 12 weeks leave, without impacting the individual’s job scope or career path.
The types of leave available for eligible* employees include:
Pre-natal leave
Primary carer’s leave – paid and unpaid
Secondary carer’s leave – paid and unpaid
Adoption leave
Special parental leave
Kate Colley, Head of People, Asia and International Branches, commented: “At NAB we want to be Australia and New Zealand’s most respected bank – a key way we can achieve that vision is to understand and support our people by making it easy for them to reach their career and life goals.
“The Asia launch of the parental leave policy now aligns NAB in Asia with our group’s efforts in supporting married and single parents of children – biological or adopted – through greater work flexibility when they are the primary or secondary carer. Our enhanced parental leave policy considers the needs of our people from the time they are expecting or adopting a child right through to returning to work after a period of parental leave and provides them with a variety of leave options and working arrangements.
“As our understanding increases of the broader positive cognitive and emotional outcomes for children when fathers are given the opportunity to participate more fully in family life and childcare, we are proud to encourage our male employees in Asia to benefit from the parental leave policy.
“In doing so, we also want to better support and advance women’s careers by creating a culture that provides equal opportunity to all parents, regardless of gender and life goals.”
The policy also includes provision for pregnant employees who are fit for work but who experience illness or risks arising from the pregnancy, or who have identified hazards connected with the position, to be transferred to a safe job.
*Parental leave is available to all permanent employees who have completed at least 12 months continuous service at the time of taking leave. Employees with less than 12 months continuous service or serving the notice period of separation are not eligible for parental leave other than regulatory required, however they may be considered for a period of unpaid leave.
