New employee policies at The WI

We are excited to announce further improvements to our family-friendly policies designed to better support our employees and their families, here at the WI. This includes maternity and adoption pay, partner/paternity leave and pay (which pre-empts cross party calls for an amendment to the Employment Rights Bill to better support dads and co-parents), and the introduction of neonatal and premature baby leave and pay.

This package of change - which joins our hybrid and flexible working provisions and menopause support - prioritises employee wellbeing and forms part of our commitment to supporting work-life balance and helping to create a positive place to work.

When these reassurances are in place, women – often primary caregivers – benefit; and as the largest women’s movement in the UK, that’s our key commitment to our employees, and those who work alongside us.

Our new policies cover the following areas:

Maternity and Adoption Leave and Pay – 20 weeks at full pay, 19 weeks at 50%, and 13 weeks at 30% (or statutory, whichever is greater). This entitles colleagues to 52 weeks of paid leave, after 1 years’ service.

Partner/Paternity Leave and Pay – We want to be true champions of pay parity and supporting shared caregiving responsibilities, and so eligible colleagues will now receive 20 weeks of partner/paternity leave at full pay, with 18 weeks fixed at the time of the birth and 2 weeks to be taken flexibly over 52 weeks.

Neonatal and Premature Baby Leave and Pay – we want to demonstrate our compassion for the stressful and potentially life changing impact of having a baby born prematurely or requiring neonatal care. Colleagues whose babies need a continuous hospital stay of seven days or more in their first month of their lives, or are born premature before 37 weeks gestation, will receive 12 weeks of additional leave at full pay - irrespective of length of service. This includes partners of birth parents.

These policies complement our existing promise to support diverse family structures and develop and empower women in every way we can, including through our educational and personal development courses at our WI Learning Hub, and our campaigning arm; which gives a voice to women across our membership to be active in challenging injustice and fighting for equality as.

We are The WI: Inspiring women. Everyday.