HAMILTON, Bermuda, March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its
Diversity & Inclusion strategy and ongoing efforts to attract
and retain the best talent, XL Catlin has announced enhanced
family-friendly leave benefits, including more paid time off for
maternity, adoption and family care. Launched last year, the
multi-pronged effort to increase Diversity and Inclusion also
included a new workplace flexibility initiative and several
programs specifically aimed at recruiting and developing women
leaders.
The enhanced leave benefits vary by geography, based on local
practices and laws, but in each case represent a significant
benefit when compared to local practices. They are being rolled out
initially in XL Catlin's largest locations, which are the US,
UK, India and Switzerland, and include:
In the US – Up to 16 weeks fully paid maternity, adoption
and surrogacy leave for the primary caregiver regardless of gender
and four weeks of fully paid parental leave for the secondary
caregiver, to be taken any time during the first 12 months.
In addition, employees in the US who adopt or have a child via
surrogacy will be eligible for reimbursement for some of the
related expenses. Additional leave time will be provided to care
for extended family members including siblings and parents.
In the UK – Up to 52 weeks of maternity and adoption
leave including 26 weeks at full pay and 13 weeks of statutory pay
for the primary caregiver, four weeks of fully paid paternity leave
for the secondary caregiver and 10 days of paid leave to care for
dependents. In addition, the Shared Parental Leave has
been enhanced to provide the same level of pay as the maternity and
adoption leaves.
In India – Up to 26
weeks of fully paid maternity, adoption and surrogacy leave and
four weeks of paternity leave. In addition colleagues who
adopt or have a child via surrogacy will be eligible for
reimbursement for some of the related expenses. Colleagues
may also take up to 25 days of leave to provide care for a sick
close relative or a non-related person living in the same
household.
In Switzerland – Up to
six months of paid leave from the birth or adoption date of a child
for the primary caregiver and four weeks of parental leave for the
secondary caregiver. Additional leave time is also available
to care for extended family members, including siblings and
parents.
Commenting on the enhanced benefits, XL Catlin's Chief Human
Resources Officer, Eileen Whelley
said: "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. "
The workplace flexibility initiative offers full-time and
part-time colleagues a variety of working arrangements including
flexible working locations and hours. For example, colleagues can
choose to work during alternative hours outside of the 'core work'
hours and can work from home or at different XL Catlin offices on
different days.
An initial focus of XL Catlin's Diversity and Inclusion efforts
has been an emphasis on attracting and developing more women
leaders. In the past year XL Catlin has created several initiatives
including programs specifically designed for distinguished women
leaders and the XL Catlin "Women of the World" network in multiple
cities around the world.
About XL Catlin
XL Catlin is the global brand used by XL Group
Ltd's (NYSE:XL) insurance and reinsurance companies which
provide property, casualty, professional and specialty products to
industrial, commercial and professional firms, insurance companies
and other enterprises throughout the world. Clients look to
XL Catlin for answers to their most complex risks and to help move
their world forward. To learn more, visit xlcatlin.com.