Starting in 2024, Henkel will implement a new gender-neutral parental leave standard for its about 50,000 employees worldwide.
Henkel has announced a groundbreaking initiative to implement a gender-neutral parental leave standard for its approximately 50,000 employees worldwide, starting in 2024. The German chemical company will offer parents up to eight weeks of fully paid parental leave. This move is aimed at promoting equal parenting and childcare for all employees, regardless of gender or biological parent status and demonstrates Henkel's commitment to equity by promoting equal parenting and child care for all parents, including adoptive, foster, surrogacy and LGBTQ+ parents.
“Henkel will become the first German DAX40 company to offer its employees worldwide eight weeks of fully paid parental leave”, says Carsten Knobel, CEO of Henkel. “This initiative sends a strong signal to all our employees and underscores our unwavering commitment to fostering a more inclusive culture and more gender equity.”
Sylvie Nicol, Executive Vice President Human Resources, Infrastructure and Sustainability, adds: “Through this initiative, we want to support parents and challenge traditional gender roles, enabling everyone to participate equally in childcare. However, addressing this inequality is not the sole objective of our new global standard. It also positions us to meet the expectations of the future workforce.”