Retail giant Asda has confirmed what it calls ‘a significant enhancement’ to its family-friendly policies for employees during key life moments.
The new policies will offer support to those navigating family life, including parenthood, caregiving, and personal loss.
Maternity and adoption leave pay will be enhanced so staff paid by the hour will receive it for 26 weeks as opposed to the current 12.
The duration of paternity leave has been doubled from two weeks to four at full pay, and company paternity leave and pay has been extended to secondary kinship carers.
Primary kinship carers will benefit from a completely new policy providing 26 weeks company leave and pay.
For those employees who experience pregnancy loss Asda said it was enhancing its existing policy to provide two weeks’ company paid leave for those who suffer this before 24 weeks.
The new family leave policies were initially announced earlier this year, alongside the retailer’s £80m investment into increasing the hourly rates for store-based colleagues.
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Asda said its updated policy was available to all 140,000 colleagues and provided enhanced support, flexibility, and compassion above the normal statutory leave and pay.
In part the new benefits are the result of consultation with Usdaw. Jayne Allport, the union’s national officer, stated: “We are pleased that the company has committed to providing valuable, additional support for our members when they need it most. We welcome that the company values the parents and carers working for them and understands their needs in balancing life and work.”
Helen Selby, general counsel and interim chief people officer at Asda, said: “These changes further build on the progress we’ve made over the last year in supporting the beating heart of our business – our fantastic colleagues.”
The latest family-friendly policy updates come as Asda launched a neonatal care leave policy in November 2024, providing colleagues with additional leave and pay if their baby is born needing neonatal care treatment after birth.
Asda colleagues with a baby in neonatal care treatment for seven full days or more are able to take up to a maximum of 12 weeks of paid leave, in addition to their maternity, paternity or adoption leave.
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