NatWest
and the Royal Bank of Scotland are leading the way in providing family-friendly
working arrangements for their staff.
The
banks have introduced a new policy that provides increased provision for maternity
leave and extended paternity leave, as well as granting parents adopting
children equal leave and financial benefits as those on maternity leave.
The
initiative, launched by the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, is designed to
encourage a greater balance in staff’s work and home lives and has been
launched two years ahead of forthcoming government legislation.
New
mothers are now entitled to twenty weeks paid leave, eight more than the
statutory minimum and paid paternity leave has also been extended to 10 days
for permanent members of staff.
Neil
Roden, director of HR at the Royal Bank of Scotland, claimed, “Our policies on
adoption, paternity and maternity allow our staff to manage the balance between
work and home life more effectively, and take into consideration the huge
changes that having a family can make.
“We
also hope that our family-friendly policies will play a part in the recruitment
and retention of our staff in a competitive market.”
By
Robert De La Poer
