Kearney expands family support package across Europe
Global management consultancy Kearney has launched a new family support package for its staff in Europe. The initiative includes plans for expanded parental leave, monthly childcare subsidies and greater support for fertility, adoption and in the instance of pregnancy loss.
Geir Olsen, Europe Region Chair at Kearney, stated, “We’re consistently looking for ways to enhance our working culture at Kearney and lead with equity. Treating parents equally – regardless of gender or how they became parents – will help make this a reality and help support wider societal change by promoting a shared approach to childcare responsibilities early on.”
“We’re proud to take this positive step towards better employee equity and help Kearney staff to succeed both at home and at work,” Olsen added.
Even as unemployment rises amid Europe’s continued economic slowdown, the continent’s labour market remains historically tight. That means that if firms want to ensure they can prize top talent away from rivals, and acquire the skills they need to succeed, they must beef up their pay and benefits. Most commonly, bosses seek to do this by improving their flexibility for staff with families.
This is particularly pronounced in the UK. Even before the pandemic, employers in the UK were keen to leverage parental leave offerings as a way to attract top talent, amid record high rates employment.
As such, research found that British parents had the joint best statutory leave in the world, with mothers entitled to as much as a year, and fathers given 14 weeks – while a growing number of firms offer the chance to split this paid leave 50:50 between parents. To try and beat general offers, and strengthen their talent pipeline, consulting firms have been ramping up these offers for some time.
Family Flex
Kearney is the latest consulting firm to do so – and its new family support package in Europe looks set to put it in a leading position when it comes to parental leave rights. As the scheme is rolled out to all Kearney employees in Europe, it will apply for all new parents, regardless of their gender, and includes biological parents and adoption. In addition to six months full-time leave, there will also be the option for a six-month, ‘phase-back’ period of part-time work with enhanced salary.
As the appetite among staff for remote working remains after the lockdown era, Kearney is also extending childcare support by providing monthly childcare subsidies for all children up to school age. It will also support would-be parents, with financial aid for fertility and adoption services, in addition to improved support in the sad event of pregnancy loss.
Mirja Telzerow, HR Director Europe at Kearney, said, “Parents may be able to spend more time at home with their children, but that is not valuable time with young family members if parents are tied to their computers. Kearney is committed to being an inclusive, supportive employer where our valued team members receive the best benefits to help them thrive.”
“We’re delighted with the work of our team internally to develop this initiative, so our fantastic team members in the Kearney family can better spend more time with their own families in 2023.”
