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Maternity Leave Policy Changed to Cover Serious Illness

Nov 21, 2024

We recently announced that we have implemented changes to our existing maternity leave policy, to protect leave for any women undergoing treatment for cancer or other serious illness. 

On hand to help announce this update to our ‘Family Matters’ policies were Joanne Healy, Head of Group and Employee Relations and Kate Butler, Inclusion and Diversity Lead, along with Kate’s son, Donagh (3). The new maternity leave provision will be made available to our colleagues across the Group who are already on maternity leave, along with those taking maternity leave in the future. 

Our 'Family Matters' employee benefits were introduced to create a more supportive and inclusive environment for colleagues at different life stages. Since introduction in 2023, we have seen a strong take up of family-focused leave options among colleagues, including paid paternity and parents leave, menopause, fertility and surrogacy leave.  c. 800 employees have taken up Parents Leave, allowing seven weeks top up of parents leave for parents in the first two years; of particular note is that of the total number, 337 are dads and 460 are mums, supporting shared parental responsibility and bonding.  The number of colleagues availing of Fertility Leave reflects the nationally estimated average of 1 in 7 people who have fertility issues, meaning that 57 colleagues were supported with time to pursue fertility treatment options.

Read the full story here

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At Bank of Ireland, we are continuing building an organisation that is welcoming to all, which enables our colleagues to thrive and reach their full potential. Read more articles about our existing policies, policy updates & more.

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