New dads among those granted six-month parental leave at Volvo

Swedish premium carmaker Volvo is benefiting its 40,000 plus employees globally by rolling out a program that gives both new moms and dads a parental leave of six months.

According to the program, called Family Bond, anyone who has worked at Volvo for at least one year is eligible for the parental leave. It can be taken anytime within the first three years of parenthood.

"When parents are supported to balance the demands of work and family, it helps to close the gender gap and allows everyone to excel in their careers," said Hakan Samuelsson, chief executive of Volvo Cars.

"We have always been a family-oriented and human-centric company. Through the Family Bond program, we are demonstrating and living our values, which in turn will strengthen our brand."

The global program, which has been in place since April, is more inclusive and supportive than many other company policies around the world. It applies to all legally registered parents, including adoptive, foster care and surrogate parents.

Samuelsson said the carmaker made the decision to offer the default six months of parental leave in September 2020.

"We think this is the right thing to do for Volvo Cars. Maybe in China it is also becoming more important, as the new second-child policy promotes bigger families," he said.

"We would like to be a family friendly company where female employees pursue their career without the fear of being overtaken by male counterparts and to encourage fathers to stay at home with their kids," he added.

Before rolling out the program globally, Volvo Cars started a pilot scheme in some regions in 2019, in which 46 percent of all applicants were fathers.

When studying the outcome of its pilot, the company found that employees appreciated the policy for being gender-neutral, inclusive and adaptable to personal needs.

The studies also gave important insights on how to encourage more employees to take parental leave and make it for both parents the new "norm".

Volvo Cars said some of the obstacles that limit the uptake of parental leave include parents' concerns around the potential effect it might have on their team, fears around long-term career opportunities, and a cultural mindset about what is expected of fathers in the workplace and at home.

Samuelsson said the program will help solve these problems.

"The Family Bond program offers the stay-at-home mom more options so they don't miss out on their careers. And if we have more diverse management, I believe we will be able to think out of the box," he said.

There may be windfalls as well. Samuelsson said this may make Volvo a more attractive employer and even help with its brand image among potential customers.

"Volvo Cars is a brand that associates with safety, sustainability and is family-oriented. These values of diversity and promoting the family is a perfect match to our brand and can reinforce our brand. We want to be on the shopping list of more families looking for a car," Samuelsson said.

Volvo Cars aims to provide mobility in a personal, sustainable and safe way. It is also committed to cutting its carbon footprint, and plans to become a climate-neutral company by 2040.