Tesco has introduced a raft of new family-friendly policies, including paid kinship leave for employees responsible for caring for relatives’ children.
Employees who have obtained a Special Guardianship Order from a family court will be able to take 26 weeks’ kinship leave on full pay.
It is the first supermarket, and one of few UK employers, to offer such leave.
Its maternity leave and adoption leave policies will also be improved, rising from 14 weeks to 26 weeks on full pay. Employees who adopt will also be able to take 26 weeks’ leave on full pay.
It has also announced:
- up to 12 weeks’ paid neonatal leave, ahead of the legislation due to come into force in 2025
- an extension of fertility leave to partners as well as birth mothers, giving up to five days’ paid leave per treatment cycle
- paid leave for two weeks for the loss of a baby up to 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Tesco UK people director James Goodman said: “We have been really focused on our colleagues’ wellbeing this summer. As well as improving maternity leave for thousands of colleagues, we have introduced a raft of new benefits to help colleagues strike a healthy work-life balance.
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“Relatives who take on the care of a child often feel forced to reduce their hours or even leave their jobs as they try to juggle extra responsibilities, and we wanted to step up to offer kinship carers the same support as colleagues who adopt a child.”
The retailer has introduced the kinship leave policy after employee Taylor Kershaw, who works in Tesco’s employer brand team, raised awareness of the issue after stepping in to become a guardian for her niece.
“This is a gamechanger for all colleagues facing up to such a major life change. I was just 25 years old when I stepped up to become a guardian to a child that was only five days old,” she said.
“I was heartbroken for my brother and his partner, but suddenly I had to navigate becoming a guardian while still living at home and working full-time. This leave would have taken a lot of pressure from my shoulders and given me time to bond with baby and settle into my new role.”
Charity Kinship said there are 152,000 children in the UK being brought up by relatives or family friends, and estimated that hundreds of kinship carers could work for Tesco.
Kinship CEO Lucy Peake said: “We urge other retailers to follow their lead and will soon be launching our Kinship Friendly Employers scheme to encourage employers of all sizes to better support kinship carers in the workforce.”
Tesco recently granted staff the right to request a flexible working pattern from their first day in the job, ahead of legislation due to come into force next year.
Daniel Adams, national officer at retail workers’ union Usdaw, said the new entitlements will be introduced in January 2024.
“Following ongoing discussions between Tesco and Usdaw, we are pleased that the company has committed to make these improvements which will provide valuable, additional support for our members when they need it most,” he said.
“We are particularly pleased that the business has committed, as it did earlier this year, to the introduction of the right to request flexible working from day one, to introduce some of these changes ahead of any potential legislative change in 2024 or 2025.
“We believe this demonstrates the value of employers engaging positively with a recognised trade union and Usdaw will continue to both campaign and engage with the business on areas that will make a meaningful difference to workers in Tesco.”
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