Asda unveils enhanced family leave benefits for staff

Asda has announced improvements to its family leave benefits for its staff around caregiving, parenthood and family loss.

As part of the changes Asda is increasing company maternity and adoption leave pay for hourly staff, from 12 weeks to 26 weeks.

It is also doubling the duration of paternity from two weeks to four weeks at full contractual pay, as well as extending company paternity leave and pay to secondary kinship carers.

The supermarket also announced the introduction of a brand-new policy, providing 26 weeks company leave and pay for primary kinship carers for those caring for other children.

Finally, the company is enhancing its policy around pregnancy loss to provide two weeks company paid leave for those who experience pregnancy loss 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 staff.

Helen Selby, general counsel and interim chief people officer at Asda, said: “We’re proud to be introducing new and enhanced family-friendly policies, which underline our commitment to fostering an inclusive and colleague-focused workplace.

“We want our colleagues to feel supported during some of the most important, and occasionally most challenging – moments in their lives. 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.”

Jayne Allport, Usdaw National Officer, added: “Following ongoing discussions between Asda and Usdaw, 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.”