PMI has announced a new parental leave scheme that focuses on “people raising families” rather than the gendered stereotype of “women having children.”
The new global minimum parental leave principles will be implemented in phases across all markets, as part of our commitment to creating an inclusive and diverse workforce.
This new approach to more gender-inclusive parental leave is people-centric and driven by the recognition that all caregivers want to achieve both a rewarding career and a rewarding home life.
PMI is offering opportunities for both men and women to balance work and family time
These new principles also reflect the fact that being a present parent is an important aspect of modern life for many men—and the reality of today’s world in which there is no such thing as one type of family.
PMI’s new minimum leave principles will provide primary caregivers with a minimum of 18 weeks fully paid parental leave and secondary caregivers with a minimum of eight weeks fully paid parental leave.
Countries may exceed these principles if, for example, local laws require it or local management teams choose to implement a different package.
Read more on inclusion and diversity at PMI
The common societal expectation that caregiving is a woman’s responsibility may serve to limit women’s full participation in the paid workforce.
In turn, this can reduce a woman’s opportunities to rise to leadership roles—while simultaneously limiting men’s participation in raising families and forming connections at home.
PMI’s parental leave standard will start to be implemented from January 1, 2021, with a host of markets primed to become early adopters of the new principles in the first few months of next year, culminating in the full rollout across PMI’s entire global operations by the end of 2022.
PMI’s focus is on creating an environment where our employees from across the globe can contribute their best, support each other, and drive the innovation and consumer-centricity necessary to achieve our vision of a smoke-free future.
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