Gallagher Bassett Australia has announced it will offer employees paid leave for reproductive health. In a media release this morning, the claims management firm said this is an industry first for insurance and financial services. The company has more than 1,600 staff across the country.
"We recognise that reproductive health and wellbeing is an important and often overlooked aspect of employee wellness and we want to support our people through their reproductive journey,” said Pete Nicholson (pictured above), CEO of Gallagher Bassett Australia.
The release said the firm will provide up to 10 days of paid leave per year for IVF treatment and chronic reproductive health conditions including endometriosis. Preventative screening for breast or prostate cancers are among other covered reproductive health treatments.
“We believe this policy is a game-changer for our industry and sets a new benchmark for how employers can care for their staff,” said Nicholson.
The CEO said the policy is part of his company's commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace culture.
Tanith Jones, the firm’s general manager of People & Culture, said the policy was developed to complement additional changes to primary and secondary caregiver leave.
“In addition to reproductive leave, we have also increased our paid primary caregiver leave to 16 weeks, and secondary caregiver leave to two weeks,” she said.
Gallagher Bassett Australia provides claims and risk management services to general insurance and personal injury schemes.
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