Staying close to loved ones - An avant-garde approach in Italy for the full sharing of parenting and family care tasks - Webinar and testimonials so that all 4,200 Italian employees can take advantage of it.
GSK press release – 23 May 2023
Verona, 24 May 2023 – In the augmented reality of a game, the protagonists cover great distances with a leap and even manage to slow down time to be able to fulfill their mission. On the contrary, in real life, between work and personal commitments, we are often "in reserve" both in terms of time and in terms of physical and mental energy: in our families both parents work, the elderly are more numerous and we frequently cannot to access the services we need.
We all know, however, how much the care of children or the assistance of a loved one in difficulty are moments that count: they are occasions in which we want to be close to loved ones.
To support these important moments, GSK Italia has established that starting from April 1st of this year:
- The second parent can enjoy 18 weeks of fully paid leave (with a significant wage supplement compared to what is provided for by law) to look after the children in the first year of life. This also applies in the case of adoption or foster care;
- Each collaborator can enjoy up to 20 days a year of fully paid leave (6 times more than the legal provisions) to take care of close family members in serious conditions of illness, which determine a need for assistance.
These innovative leaves, as already defined in 2020 by GSK Italia for all other parental leaves, will be recognized on the basis of an inclusive and affective conception of the family unit.
The new, dual institution, which also applies to all the other countries of the world where the company is present, was illustrated live in recent days to the approximately 4,300 Italian employees present in the Verona management headquarters, in the Parma and Rosia plants, in research center in Siena, in the ViiV subsidiary and throughout the national territory, with a webinar during which there were the testimonies of some people of the company and some external guests on their "moments that count".
“With this decision we want to ensure that all our collaborators can focus on the people they love in key moments in life. – Underlined Alfredo Parato, Human Resources Country Head of GSK Italia. – A greater opportunity to devote oneself to the care of both children and family members is important for everyone. Furthermore, we are convinced that the concrete opportunity to share these moments further favors the development of female leadership; in fact, such tasks are still a typically female prerogative. The company's commitment in this direction also wants to be a concrete help so that everyone can make their dreams come true: the data tell us that in Italy, in the face of an expressed desire to have 2 children, the average birth rate is equal to 1.25 ! And when I talk about this process with colleagues from other companies or trade associations – concluded Parato – I am proud to be told that GSK is today the most advanced company in the sector in this area”.
GSK has been present in Italy since the early 1900s and its activities have progressively covered the entire industrial chain with research, production, local marketing and export of drugs and vaccines to over 100 countries around the world. GSK Italia currently employs 4,290 people of 57 different nationalities with 64 per cent of university graduates and 47.2 per cent of women holding managerial roles.
Related news: Spectrum – LGBTQ+ at Glaxosmithkline
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