Aviva announces equal paid parental leave
November 28, 2017 (Toronto, ON) – Aviva announces today a new group-wide policy to offer men and women equal parental leave. Parents employed by Aviva will be eligible to receive the same amount of paid and unpaid time off – regardless of their gender, sexual orientation or how they became a parent (birth, adoption or surrogacy).
The new policy is part of Aviva’s strategy to ensure a diverse and inclusive working culture in which barriers to career progression are removed.
In Canada, Aviva is offering up to one year of leave, of which 12 weeks’ is at full pay (inclusive of the government top-up) for each parent employed by the company within the first 12 months of a child’s arrival (or up to the maximum allowable in the province of Quebec). This applies to employees in all Canadian offices and locations, with no eligibility criteria relating to service length or earnings threshold. Aviva’s new parental leave policy entitlement includes:
- Equal amount of paid and unpaid parental leave when a new child arrives
- Includes full-time and part-time employees across all levels of the company
- No requirement to share the parental leave between parents
- If both parents are employees of Aviva, they will each have their own entitlement to leave and pay, which they can take at the same time
The new parental leave policy will be offered to Aviva employees who become a parent on or after November 19th 2017 in the UK, Ireland, France, Singapore and Canada. Aviva will be working to extend this to all other Aviva businesses within the next year.
The amount of time off and pay is determined by each local business with the intention Aviva’s parental leave policy is market leading in each country.
Mark Wilson, Group Chief Executive Officer, Aviva plc said:
“I want to live in a world where the only criteria for success is someone’s talent, not their gender. Treating parents equally will help make this happen. We want Aviva to be a progressive, inclusive, welcoming place to work. It’s good for our people and it’s also good business sense.”
Sarah Morris, Chief People Officer at Aviva, said:
“We think this is one of the most ground-breaking, family-friendly policies offered by any employer. It’s time to equalize parental leave and create a level playing field for men and women who want to take time out from their career to spend with their family.
“This will transform the first year of parenthood for many families, giving them the opportunity to spend precious time together. It’s one of our commitments to build a more inclusive and diverse culture at Aviva.”
About Aviva Canada:
Aviva Canada Inc. is one of the leading property and casualty insurance groups in the country providing home, automobile, leisure/lifestyle and business insurance to 2.9 million customers. A wholly-owned subsidiary of UK-based Aviva plc, the company has more than 4,000 employees focused on creating a bright and sustainable future for their customers and communities.
Aviva Canada invests in positive change through the Aviva Community Fund, Canada’s longest running online community funding competition. Since its inception in 2009, the Aviva Community Fund has awarded $7.5 million to over 250 charities and community groups nationwide. Aviva Canada, bringing over 300 years of good thinking and insurance solutions to Canadians from coast-to-coast.
For more information visit Aviva Canada’s Corporate Responsibility page, Aviva Canada’s blog, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn pages.
Media Contacts:
Priscilla Wong, PR Specialist
Aviva Canada Inc.
Mobile: 647 208 7523
priscilla.y.wong@aviva.com