Vodafone Malta has announced further changes in its maternity leave policy in line with its commitment to providing the best possible work-life balance for its employees. The company recently introduced a new policy which allows employees returning to work following maternity leave to work on a reduced hours basis of thirty hours per week for one year, the first six months of which will be on full pay. Parental Leave has also been increased from four to five days per year.

These changes further reinforce Vodafone Malta’s well-established policies in favour of promoting a positive work life balance for all its employees. It in fact already offers its employees 17 weeks of maternity leave on full pay, three more than the statutory 14 weeks, together with a further optional four-week period of unpaid leave which is paid by Social Security on a reduced rate.

Claire Mifsud, Vodafone’s Human Resources Manager, explained that a key objective of these changes is to actively support and facilitate the decision of Vodafone’e female employees to return to work following maternity leave while ensuring that their career progression is not hindered in any way by the interruption.  Ms Mifsud stated, “Here at Vodafone we are fully aware that our employees’ family and work commitments and concerns are so closely interlinked that maintaining a healthy balance between the two is essential if you want to have a fulfilled and motivated workforce. This is why all our policies are geared towards promoting this balance in every possible way. In fact I believe that Vodafone’s strong track record in gender balance, with females accounting for a third of our Executive Committee and over a fifth of our senior management positions, is a direct result of this commitment.”

In addition to the above Vodafone Malta also has an established system of flexible or ‘mobile’ working which allows employees to work from home or outside standard business hours where appropriate.