International insurance group XL Catlin has announced its enhanced family-friendly leave benefits package as part of its diversity and inclusion strategy and efforts to attract and retain the best talent in the industry.
The new benefits package includes more paid time off for maternity, adoption, and family care. Initially, these have been rolled out in the company’s four largest locations, with other offices to follow.
For the UK, primary caregivers will receive up to 52 weeks’ maternity and adoption leave, including 26 weeks with full pay and 13 weeks with statutory pay. The secondary caregiver is entitled to four weeks’ fully paid leave, and 10 days paid leave to care for dependents. Additionally, the shared parental leave has been upgraded to the same level of pay as maternity and adoption leave.
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Meanwhile, in Switzerland, primary caregivers will have up to six months of paid leave from date of birth or adoption of a child, while secondary caregivers will have four weeks’ parental leave. Additional leave days are also available to care for extended family members, including siblings and parents.
The company has also introduced similar leave packages in the US and India, conforming to local practices and relevant laws.
XL Catlin is also instituting a workplace flexibility initiative that allows full-time and part-time employees to choose from a variety of working arrangements, including flexible working times and locations. Aside from variable working hours, employees can choose to work from home or from a different office on different days if the need arises.
Eileen Whelley, XL Catlin’s chief human resources officer, commented: “An essential element to attracting and retaining the best talent in our industry is a strong commitment to diversity and an inclusive culture which provides support for all colleagues to manage the demands of work and family and embraces flexibility in the way we work and in the way we think. We believe our new and enhanced policies will further empower our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance, giving them greater flexibility in how they work and giving XL Catlin the continued benefit of their enormous contributions.”
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