GENEVA, March 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The L'OCCITANE Group, a leader in natural cosmetics and well-being products and a pioneer in corporate sustainability, today announced the launch of a global parental leave policy to support families of all shapes and sizes. The new policy gives primary caregivers a minimum of 20 weeks' fully paid leave and secondary caregivers a minimum of 12 weeks' fully paid leave to bond with their new child. It will apply to L'OCCITANE employees worldwide – across its offices, factories and owned retail stores – whether the child is welcomed by birth or through adoption or surrogacy.

To support this new parental leave policy and further advance its commitment to the empowerment of women, the L'OCCITANE Group also announced that it will join the Leading Executives Advancing Diversity (LEAD) Network.

The new parental leave policy seeks to empower all employees and their families. It directly promotes health and well-being through equal opportunities in the workplace and fairer gender relations within the family. With this pioneering initiative, L'OCCITANE's new parents enjoy more generous maternity and paternity leave than local legislation would provide for in many countries. The difference is particularly marked in the US and Asia, which together account for more than 50% of the Group's activity. The Group's subsidiaries will provide longer parental leave where required by local legislation.

Armelle Saint-Raymond, L'OCCITANE Group Human Resources Vice-President, explains:

'Empowering women is a core value of L'OCCITANE. Our new, inclusive global parental leave is a major step forward in our ambitious programme towards gender parity within the Group, aiming to help employees to balance parenthood and career and increase diversity within teams, resulting in better business performance overall.'

Women currently represent 87% of L'OCCITANE's global workforce. The new parental leave policy strengthens the Group's existing provisions to attract, retain and advance women, which is one of the three pillars of its commitment to sustainability. The new leave is company-mandated to lower barriers preventing men from taking parental leave while also breaking the glass ceiling to help women achieve their full potential. In addition, the Group will continue to further develop flexible working arrangements and support programmes for employees returning to work after parental leave. L'OCCITANE will begin implementing the policy at its global headquarters in Switzerland in 2020, with the global roll-out set to be completed by April 2022.

LEAD Network partnership

L'OCCITANE is keen to unite its voice with those of other companies and organisations to drive positive change in the industry globally. In order to support its new parental leave policy, further advance its commitments to diversity and inclusion and share best practices, the Group is joining the Leading Executives Advancing Diversity (LEAD) Network, the goal of which is to attract, retain and advance women in the retail and consumer goods industry in Europe through education, leadership and business development.

Sharon Jeske, Executive Director of the LEAD Network, observes:

'The LEAD Network is proud to welcome our new Partner L'OCCITANE Group, which enthusiastically supports our mission. As a company with a strong purpose, L'OCCITANE Group is playing a strategic role to help us advance women in the retail and consumer goods sector in Europe. Through the launch of its new, inclusive global parental leave policy, L'OCCITANE Group demonstrates its thought leadership and lives up to the LEAD Network's motto of "Diversity & Inclusion: Doing not Trying".'

Sylvain Desjonquères, L'OCCITANE Group Managing Director said:

'I am extremely proud that L'OCCITANE Group joins the Leading Executives Advancing Diversity (LEAD) Network. This is an exciting opportunity to leverage the network's resources as a means of forging ahead with our diversity and inclusion policies. Membership of the network will provide a platform for our employees to grow on a personal and professional level and drive the Group's ambition to act as an advocate for women in business within the industry worldwide.'

For more information about the LEAD Network, visit: www.lead-eu.net

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SOURCE L'OCCITANE International