Nestlé has launched a global Maternity Protection Policy for its employees worldwide that is estimated to be one of the most progressive programmes of its kind in the industry.

The policy, which is based on the ILO Maternity Protection Convention, establishes minimum standards that must be implemented at Nestlé workplaces across the world by 2018.

The policy gives employees a minimum of 14 weeks paid maternity leave and the right to extend their maternity leave up to six months. This will be applicable to all primary caregivers of newborns, including male employees and adoptive parents.

It also includes employment protection, flexible working arrangements and guaranteed access to breastfeeding rooms during working hours in head offices and sites with more than 50 female employees. Nestlé currently has more than 190 breastfeeding rooms across its global working facilities.

Peter Vogt, Deputy Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Nestlé S.A. said: “This policy will help us better support mothers and their families in our sites across the world and reinforces our support for exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of a child’s life.” 

Watch Paul Bulcke’s interview with Fortune Magazine, where he discusses Nestlé’s new Maternity Protection Policy (pdf, 1Mb), and learn more about the company’s commitment to enhance gender balance in its workforce.