Coles introduces a major change to parental leave for staff members

Starting September 1, the Coles Group will introduce paid parental leave benefits without employees having to wait 12 months.

This is for primary and secondary caregivers.

Secondary caregivers, meanwhile, get double the amount of leave from two weeks to four, which can be taken at any time within 24 months of the birth, adoption or surrogacy of a child.

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The license can be taken one day at a time, over several days, or as a whole block.

For primary caregivers receiving government-paid paternity leave, retirement payments will also be introduced with team members receiving that minimum wage-based leave when primary caregivers’ leave is unpaid.

Coles has also formalized a policy for people whose pregnancy, whether by birth, adoption or surrogacy, does not go to term.

Coles Group Head of People and Culture Kris Webb said these changes will go some way to helping team members plan for their family.

“We want to make Coles a great place to work for all team members. This means supporting them at important moments in life, like planning to welcome a new addition to their family,” said Ms. Webb.

“For people who are going to have a child and want to work for Coles, we don’t want them to feel like they have to wait to get licensed as primary caregivers, because we know that’s not always possible.

“No one should feel like they need to put off having a family because of their job.

“We are also pleased to extend our license to secondary caregivers because we know how important it is for primary caregivers to have the support of their partners during these important times in their lives.

“This policy applies to team members who work in our stores, our distribution centers and our store support center, so it is really expansive and we hope it will make a big difference for our team members who plan to grow their families.