Telecom network operator Telenor Group has implemented a 6-month paid maternity leave policy across its 13 markets including India.
Telenor said its Asian markets will particularly benefit from the new HR policy. Telenor will continue with the current practices in Europe, on par or above the newly proposed initiative.
The decision is part of the strategy of Telenor to create an equitable work-life balance for employees within the telecom industry. Women constitute nearly 36 percent of Telenor’s global workforce of 33,000 people.
Female employees in Asia operations of Telenor, with the exception of Bangladesh, are entitled to less than six months of funded maternity leave as per local regulations and personnel practices.
The new HR policy will take effect from January 1, 2016.
The recent McKinsey and Co. research paper Diversity Matters (2014) suggests that diversity in the workplace provides multiple business advantages in talent recruitment, greater customer orientation, increase in employee satisfaction, better decision making, enhanced innovation, and improved financial performance.
“This will represent a significant difference in markets such as Thailand and India, where local regulations require only three months of maternity leave. We consider it a highly strategic move, both from a societal and a business perspective,” said Sigve Brekke, president and CEO of Telenor Group.
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