2degrees Bolsters Parental Leave Policy

New industry-leading policy announced on UN Global Day of Parents

2degrees has today announced sweeping changes to its Parental Leave Policy to support its people looking to become parents, with initiatives that provide greater financial security and make it easier to return to work.

Launched to coincide with UN Global Day of Parents, the telco says its new policy is part of a wider ambition to both attract and retain the brightest talent in an increasingly competitive market* as well as doing the right thing by its parents.

“We’re really proud of our culture and how we look after our people,” says Jodie Shelley, 2degrees Chief People Officer. “That said, we knew we didn’t have it right with our parental leave policy – so we’ve done something about it.”

2degrees’ new policy features an industry-leading superannuation top up that will see the company match superannuation contributions 2-for-1 when a caregiver comes back to work, for a period equal to the duration of unpaid leave (up to 26 weeks).

The telco will also top up paid parental leave payments to 100% of base salary for the 26-week statutory leave period, giving primary caregivers greater financial security, while they look after their babies.

“We wanted to ‘get the basics right’ and to see if we could address some of the disadvantages that come with taking time away from the workplace to care for children,” says Jodie. “There’s a well-documented gender gap in the average retirement savings amount, which doesn’t seem fair, and we saw this as a chance to do something about it.”

Under the new policy, 2degrees will help to ease the transition back to work by paying for five days a week while only expecting carers to work for four – up to 12 weeks. Annual leave has also been addressed, now paid at full value on return to work.

“We’ve not forgotten about partners either – they’ll get two weeks paid leave while the family settles in back at home,” says Jodie.

“We’re all delighted to be able to help ease the pressure on families and mums, and the response from our people has been fantastic.”

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