As the region works to create a gender-balanced workforce, Amazon outlined its paid parental leave policy, which benefits all new parents, regardless of gender, in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan.
Reaffirmed in celebration of International Women’s Day, the inclusive policy provides up to 6 weeks of paid parental leave for the first year of a child’s life to both parents who complete a year of service.
Birth mothers have the option to add 6 weeks of parental leave to their 14 weeks of maternity leave to take advantage of 20 weeks of paid time off, including the month before delivery, to focus on parenthood and family.
meaningful options
Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President of Amazon Mena, commented: “Amazon places great emphasis on providing employees with meaningful choices that balance their professional and personal commitments. We take pride in listening, implementing, and evolving our employee experience to ensure that all parents are supported in their Thrive at work and at home. Our parental leave policy is another step towards unlocking the full potential of everyone, regardless of gender. Achieving gender balance in the workplace is critical to economic growth in the region and is critical to creating prosperity and sustainable key to social development.”
As Amazon supports the return of its employees to its locations in the Middle East and North Africa, the policies underscore Amazon’s continued commitment to helping working parents create the right harmony between home life and work life. As part of a broader benefit package for new parents, Amazon is also offering a “Ramp-Back” program that gives primary caregivers eight consecutive weeks of flexibility and part-time work as they adjust to new parents work schedule.
“Parents’ return-to-work plans after the birth of a child are as important as the leave itself. Our ‘Ramp-Back’ program allows new parents to Flexibility to prioritize family responsibilities when returning to work. Amazon’s parental leave policy is designed to reduce the burden on primary caregivers by providing parental benefits for both parents. Our goal is to provide families with the time and space to focus on their children, Convince them that, as an employer, we fully recognize and support their journey through this special stage of their life,” explains Bikram Walia, Director of Human Resources at Amazon Mena.
Fertility support
“Welcoming a new baby comes with a series of adjustments at home and at work. One of the things I appreciate most about Amazon is the support for maternity leave, which means I can take up to five months off. My manager is very supportive of making sure this Doesn’t affect my career path and my team is there to help. My recovery plan is customized so I can devote the time my kids need while still giving me space to get back to work rhythm,” said Amazon UAE Category head Sonam Arora said he spoke about her birth experience.
inclusive environment
Beyond parental leave, Amazon is committed to enhancing parental and primary caregivers by creating an inclusive work environment, fostering an empathy-based culture, and fostering a strong sense of employer and team support across a variety of touchpoints. Employee Experience:
*Nursing and Nursing Rooms: All Amazon offices and operations in the UAE have dedicated, fully-equipped nursing rooms.
* Frustration-free leave experience: To ensure a frustration-free parental leave application, a dedicated Leave Services team is on hand to help plan and arrange parental leave, including return timetables.
*Manager Training: All managers and leaders are empowered with training, resources and guidance to practice empathy and help prospective employees through this important life event and transition from pregnancy to motherhood and back to the workplace Expect.
*Community Network: Amazon has a thriving network of community support through programs such as “[email protected]‘ Affinity groups for working parents share knowledge, advance careers and foster community connections between parents, while advocating for policies for women with children.
Amazon’s commitment to the well-being of its employees ensures that employees recognize their work with valuable benefits for themselves and their families. The company’s parental leave policy reflects the company’s support for employees at all stages of life. — trade arab news agency