Getinge’s new global family leave program stands out in the US
In the United States, where typical parental leave is limited to eight weeks, Getinge’s new global initiative to offer all employees 16 weeks paid parental leave and four weeks leave to care for a close family member stands out.
Getinge’s global family leave program was introduced in January 2023 and is part of the company’s efforts to support an inclusive environment.
“We want to support the wellness and work-life harmony of our employees around the world at all stages of life. That includes giving them the possibility to care for family members, young or old. Our employees should not have to choose between family or work when their family members need them the most,” says Magnus Lundbäck, Executive Vice President Human Resources and part of Getinge Executive Team.
The program was initiated by the CEO and Executive Team and is now being rolled out in all parts of the company. Eric Honroth, also member of the Executive Team and President Life Science lives in the US himself, where he says the initiative stands out:
“Here, typical parental leave is limited to eight weeks. Our aim to contribute to saving lives by improving healthcare should of course be reflected in how we treat our employees. I think this program highlights our ambitions to be a forward-looking and progressive company. "
The parental leave is applicable to birth, adoption and surrogacy, while the caregiver leave enables Getinge employees to take paid time off to care for a close family member.
“We want people to be free to pursue professional ambitions without compromising on the desire to build a family. Our gender neutral approach enables parents to merge their time off and stay at home longer,” Eric says. “I am a father of five myself, and I would certainly appreciate a program like this when we had our children.”
Eric is also enthusiastic about the four-week caregiver leave, which extends the program beyond employees with growing families.
“This is a response to the fact that our population is ageing and more people get involved in caring for elderly parents at some point. It also gives our employees the possibility to focus fully on a close family member in need of care, which goes hand in hand with our brand promise Passion for Life. So, with parental and caregiver leave our initiative spans all the way from young Gen Z professionals to the Baby Boomer generation,” Eric explains.
In the US, as well as on other work markets, the family leave program is also an innovative response to the growing importance of attractive benefits.
“It’s fair to say that the family leave program has been exceptionally well received by our employees here in the US, as it makes a valuable difference for the wellbeing of all our team members", says Alessandra Aguila, Vice President, Human Resources, North America. “There are fundamental changes in how people view their employment. Compensation packages used to be in focus during recruitment discussions but nowadays benefits with direct influence on the quality of life can be equally important as the financial aspects.”
About the Getinge initiative
Since the beginning of 2023, all Getinge entities offer a minimum of 16 weeks paid parental leave applicable to birth, adoption and surrogacy, and 4 weeks paid caregiver leave to care for a close family member, globally. Implementation of the new guideline is on a country basis and subject to local regulations. If existing local standards are more generous than the global guideline, the local standards will continue to apply.