Bank to give female employees five months maternity leave

Dar es Salaam. Standard Chartered Bank Tanzania Limited has today, August 22, announced the roll out of enhanced employee benefits, including extended maternity and paternity leave.

The new initiative, among other things, allows female employees to go for a 20-week paid maternity leave. This translates to 140 days or five months of maternity leave, excluding annual leave, according to statement issued by the bank on Monday.

The Bank’s Head of Human Resources, Mr Siaophoro Kishimbo, said the adjustment is part of the bank’s focus to create and sustain conducive working environment for its workers.

“As a part of the Bank’s family-friendly culture, we have increased fully-paid maternity leave for our female employees to 20 calendar weeks, while male employees will start enjoying a 14 days or two calendar weeks paternity leave,” Mr Kishimbo said.

Initially, the Bank was offering a 12 week, or three months maternity leave and a three day paternity leave, in accordance with the country’s labour laws.

The Bank’s new policy, therefore, surpasses the country’s laws requirements by eight weeks for female employees and 11 days for male employees.

Furthermore, the Bank’s new policy has also considered adoptive mothers, whose maternity leave will increase from two weeks to 90 days for mothers who adopt children aged not more than three months, the statement reads in part.

Additionally, mothers who adopt children aged four months and above will be entitled to a maternity leave of 30 days.

Adoptive fathers will also be entitled to a 14 days paternity leave, which is an increase of 11 days.

The Bank is, this year, marking its Centenary Anniversary since it opened its operations in Tanzania in 1917.