Amazon Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has introduced an enhanced paid parental leave policy for employees across United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan who have become new parents, regardless of gender.
The policy offers both parents with one year of service up to six weeks’ paid leave within the first year following the birth of a child. Mothers can add this to the existing 14 weeks of maternity leave, including one month before birth to focus on parenthood and family.
According to the retailer, this underscores its continued commitment to assist working parents in creating a good work-life balance as it supports them through their return to office sites across the MENA region. It is striving to enhance parents’ and primary caregivers’ employee experience by creating an inclusive work environment, nurturing a culture underpinned by empathy, and fostering employer and team support.
In order to demonstrates support for employees through all stages of their lives, the organisation also offers dedicated and equipped Mothers’ Rooms, and a dedicated leave services team to help plan and schedule parental leave, including ‘ramp-back’ schedules that offer primary caregivers eight consecutive weeks of flexibility and partial work hours as they adjust as new parents.
Additionally, all managers and leaders receive training, resources and guidance to practice empathy and help expectant employees during the transition from pregnancy to motherhood and back to the workplace. It also has a community support network for working parents called Families@, which shares knowledge, fosters career growth and cultivates parent connections, while also advocating for policies for women with children.
In a Linkedin post, Ronaldo Mouchawar, vice president of Amazon MENA, said: “Another important step to accelerate a gender balanced workforce: critical for the region’s economic growth and the key in creating a thriving and sustainable society.”