Recently, Novartis announced it would be offering all staff 14 weeks parental leave, and now Volvo Switzerland has upped the ante by saying it will give its employees six months parental leave.
This would make it the most generous employer in Switzerland.
In a statement, the carmaker from family-friendly Sweden said both mothers and fathers of newborn babies would receive 24 weeks leave at 80 percent pay.
Read also: Opinion – the benefits of raising children in Switzerland
People who adopt children will be eligible for the same parental leave entitlements.
This leave can be taken any time within the first three years after the child’s birth or after adopting, the company said.
The move is part of a global push by Volvo to attract top talent, as companies start to recognize that family-friendly policies help them to stand out from the crowd.
No statutory paternity leave
Volvo Switzerland’s statement comes as Swiss politicians struggle to forge a position on paternity leave.
Switzerland currently has no statutory paternity leave at all, with most fathers only allowed to take one ‘family day' of leave upon the birth of their children.
The Swiss parliament is currently considering a compromise option which would see fathers given two weeks of leave.
Socialist MP Adrian Wüthrich told The Local recently that this proposal had a good chance of being adopted as law but he stressed a four-week option was not off the table.
Read also: Swiss fathers increasingly likely to work part time
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