Hewlett Packard Enterprise extends parental leaves to 26 weeks

New mothers and fathers working at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) in Hong Kong can now take up to 26 weeks of paid leave, as well as?parental transition support, retirement transition support and Wellness Fridays, as part of the company's Work That Fits Your Life programme.

HPE is taking initiative with new policies on both paid parental leave and flexible working arrangements in recognition of the importance of equal parenting and the role that workplace culture can play in supporting it.

New parents, with at least one year of service with HPE, can benefit from 26 weeks of paid leave within the first 12 months after the birth or adoption of a child ? which is much better than the industry norm whereby mothers can have 10 weeks of maternity leave while fathers get only 5 days of paid leave.

HPE has also implemented a flexible work arrangement policy, namely Parental Transition Support, which offers new parents the opportunity to work part time for up to 36 months after the birth or adoption of a child.

?At HPE in Hong Kong, we want all of our employees to be reaching their full potential in their careers. That means supporting them as they grow their families as well,? said Gabriel Leung, managing director, Hong Kong and Macau, HPE.

In addition to the extended paid parental leave, to create a culture of 'work that fits your life' and a gender balance that creates equal opportunities at home and in the workplace, HPE has initiated these further benefits and career support options that will be offered to its workforce in Hong Kong:

• Support for existing families: Eligibility for the extended paid paternal leave benefit is being retroactively applied to parents with children born or adopted on or after 1 May, 2019.
• Parental transition support: New parents will be given the opportunity to work part time, for three years, following the birth or adoption of a child. It provides employees more time to bond with their new child and also helps them transition back to work.
• Retirement transition support: Employees approaching retirement will be given the opportunity to work part time to help adjust to the lifestyle changes of retirement while transferring their knowledge and/or serving as a mentor to other HPE employees.
• Wellness Fridays: As part of the global wellness and work/life balance initiative, employees are encouraged to leave the office three hours early one Friday each month to volunteer, focus on physical or emotional health, or spend time on personal or career development.