Families Matter at IFF: Setting a Standard of Global Parental Leave

For many of us life revolves around family. And welcoming a child – whether through birth surrogacy or adoption – ranks at the top of a family’s most important and cherished moments. Parental leave provides new parents with more time to care for and bond with a newborn or a newly adopted child but the length and coverage of paid leave varies across companies regions and countries with some requiring as little as one-to-six weeks for the mother alone (or less).  We believe these more restrictive policies put an unfair burden on women and primary caregivers and deny their partners the opportunity to engage more fully with their new child.

At IFF we have been working to develop a global parental leave policy that makes it easier for new parents to give their new family members the attention they need and deserve while allowing more equitable participation by the parents.  On June 30th 2022 we delivered on this important initiative and implemented an expanded Global Parental Leave Policy providing 16 weeks of fully paid leave following the birth surrogacy or adoption of a child. The new policy which raises the minimum parental leave for many of our sites also:

• Grants 16 weeks of 100% paid leave for a new IFF parent regardless of gender identity and/or expression
• Applies to birth parents adoptive parents same-sex parents and parents who use a surrogate
• Sets a new global minimum standard of parental leave benefits going beyond what is legally required in most countries where IFF operates
• Starts immediately once the employee is benefit-eligible based on local law

We are taking this step based on employee feedback market best practices and our desire to be a leader in gender equity in the workplace.

“Through this expanded policy our goal is to ensure that new parents do not have to choose between supporting their families and nurturing their careers” says CEO Frank Clyburn. “We view parental leave benefits not as a cost but as an investment in our people one that will help ensure that we continue to gain from the diverse knowledge talents and abilities of our colleagues.”

Enhanced Personal Benefits

We are proud to bring this extended policy to our colleagues. We know this is the right thing to do for our business however this policy will also benefit our colleagues their families and IFF in the long term. Some recent external studies have found that equitable parental leave can help to:

• Strengthen the Partnership Between Parents – 90% of men report that their relationship with their partners improved because they took the time to be home with their newborn child; and 80% of women report that their partners took an equal responsibility for household work that has traditionally fallen to her long after their leave period ended
• Establish the Parental Role from The Start – Parenting together in the first days weeks or months of a child’s life is instrumental in shaping family dynamics
• Support Equity in Career Progression – supplying equal leave for both men and women helps level the playing field for working mothers
• Boost Family Finances – parental leave for both men and women can reduce the gender wage gap within households by maintaining mothers’ wages by not taking unpaid leave to care for their new child
• Promote Equality Beyond Just Gender – Our LGBTIQ+ colleagues will be able to bond with their new child without being negatively financially impacted
• Energize Employees – Men and non-birth parents have reported that the time they spent with their child had a boost in happiness and fulfillment that was also extended to the workplace. Additionally women and birth parents reported that having the shared responsibility at home gave them confidence they needed to return to work knowing their child had loving care.

“This policy conveys to all employees—not just those who benefit most from it—that IFF cares about its people and their families” says Jen Johnson EVP General Counsel and Executive Sponsor of IFF Colleague Community Women@IFF. “This action is another proof point of IFF’s Do More Good commitment: ‘Every day we bring the talent influence and responsibility to constantly challenge the status quo.’ It truly sets us apart from many other companies.”

Join Us

We are company that does not just say we believe in nurturing a diverse equitable and inclusive culture; we are a company that continues to take action to advance our progress on DE&I and where all colleagues are encouraged to be their full authentic selves in the workplace.

Join us! Explore a career at IFF and learn more about our commitment to DE&I.