Maternity leave has always been an issue in Malaysia especially for first-time parents because it’s not always adequate since new parents need longer days off to adjust to the new life, which is parenthood.
Keeping that in mind and helping first-time mothers adjust their way into this new path of life, CIMB Group Holdings has decided to offer six months of paid maternity leave for their employees who are about to become new mothers. Nice!
According to The Star, the benefit took effect on 1 January 2019 for all CIMB employees in Malaysia. The move is dubbed as another step forward for new parents after CIMB announced its one-month of paid paternity leave for new fathers last year (2018).
Source: The Star
In a statement, CIMB said that new mothers can utilise this benefit “as early as 30 days” before their estimated delivery due date. In addition to that, this benefit could be used together with the CIMB Staff Rejuvenation Programme which offers CIMB employees up to six months’ of unpaid leave.
That way, new mothers could take the whole year off to concentrate and adjust into their new journey as mothers. CIMB Group’s chief people officer, Datuk Hamidah Naziadin was quoted as saying,
“This enhanced maternity benefit and our existing one-month paternity leave are part of our new holistic approach on managing human capital, by recognising that employees have different needs at different phases of their life, and by promoting a shared parenting culture for young families in our workforce.”
“We also believe that by allowing first-time parents a longer period to adjust to parenthood, they could create a more meaningful and positive experience with their first-borns whilst maintaining their career. We are also exploring the possibility of extending this benefit to all our employees group-wide.”
Source: The Edge Markets
Besides just paternity and maternity leaves, CIMB also has other initiatives to support their employees’ family needs, such as:
- Work-from-home policy
- Allowing staff with children aged five and below, or with special needs, to work from home one day per week
Sounds like great initiatives!
These benefits offered by CIMB are great opportunities for their employees who are starting a family to properly adjust into parenthood; we also hope other Malaysian companies will be inspired by CIMB’s initiatives and come up with ways to cater to the family needs of their employees.
What do you think of these benefits for first-time parents that CIMB is offering? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Also read: Pregnant M’sians Can Sue Bosses Who Don’t Approve 90 Days Maternity Leave
