Molson Coors launches equal parent leave policy in the UK

The brewer Carling, Coors and Madrí Excepcional has announced a new UK Equal Parent Leave Policy which will entitle all new parents to up to 52 weeks of leave regardless of gender or path to parenthood. 

All new parents will be offered up to 52 weeks of leave, 26 of which are fully paid, and a further 12 weeks fully paid for neonatal care if needed. In addition, all parents will qualify for up to 10 paid keeping-in-touch days and paid antenatal appointments, while those taking more than 26 weeks leave will qualify for a phased return to work for the first four weeks, working 80 per cent of their hours while receiving 100 per cent of their pay. 

Molson Coors Beverage Company employs more than 2,200 people across the UK including at its manufacturing sites in Burton-on-Trent, Tadcaster, the Aspall Cyder House in Suffolk and Sharp’s Brewery in Cornwall. By introducing the new policy to enhance parental leave for all employees irrespective of gender, it is aiming to kick-out the ‘secondary carer’ label often given to those that can’t take more time off from the workplace.   

The new policy is the latest step in Molson Coors’ ambition to become a more inclusive employer, following its decision last year to scrap CVs for certain roles to encourage a more diverse range of applicants. In 2019 the brewer also launched “life leave”, giving employees an extra two weeks of annual leave they can use for significant life moments like moving house or helping to settle a loved one into a new caring arrangement. 

There are currently less than 100 companies in the UK and Ireland that offer some form of gender-neutral parent leave that removes the principle of a primary and secondary carer, and only a handful of manufacturing companies, such as Molson Coors, which tend to have significantly higher numbers of men in their workforce. 

“We’re always looking at ways to drive for more gender diversity at every level of our business, and to create a more inclusive and equitable work experience for everyone,” said Phil Whitehead, MD, Western Europe. “Our new Equal Parent Leave policy is a really important next step to achieving those ambitions.”