Diageo SA leads the way in maternity and paternity leave policy.

To mark the National Women's Month, the leading spirits company Diageo South Africa has announced an ambitious new family leave policy, providing 26 weeks of maternity and 4 weeks of paternity leave for all its employees at full pay.

The leave policy is applicable to primary and secondary caregivers, in same sex relationships and in cases of adoption.

The company, which supplies global spirits brands such as Johnnie Walker, J&B, Tanqueray, Smirnoff and Ciroc, adopted the policy as part of its leading role globally to create a fully inclusive and diverse workforce. Diageo hopes that the policy will support employees to focus on the joy of raising a young family, while continuing to thrive at work, and ensuring women and men are supported to have time with their new babies.

Labour law in South Africa provides for a four months maternity leave and the parental (paternity) leave is being increased from three to 10 days with the recent amendments to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act. Payment for employees is generally sourced through the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) at 66% of normal earnings, provided the parent has been in employment for at least 13 weeks.

Corporate Relations Director at Diageo SA, Sibani Mngadi said the new policy was an important step for the company - changing the conversation around women having babies and taking time off, to one that considers the family and how we share parental roles and responsibilities.

"We want Diageo to be a place that supports parents as they grow their families and we move away from the burden being one way or the other and the financial and career concerns which have so dominated in the past. We want to equalise the parenting possibilities within work," said Mngadi.

Diageo SA, a subsidiary of London-listed Diageo PLC, is committed to creating a fully inclusive and diverse workforce. The South Africa Diageo business is fully compliant with Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment at BBBEE Level 4. The global Diageo company has been recognised by the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index in 2019. In 2018 Diageo PLC was named by Thomson Reuters as the 4th most inclusive and diverse company in the world. 40% of Diageo’s Executive Committee and 44% of Diageo’s Board are women.