Accenture Doubles Maternity Leave

Global management consulting firm Accenture strives to provide its employees with great career opportunities. In pursuit of that goal, the company announced on March 12 that it is doubling its maternity leave benefits.

Part-time and full-time female employees will now be offered up to 16 weeks of paid leave, according to a statement released by the company. According to Accenture’s rewards and benefits page, other primary caregivers’ leave remains unchanged at up to eight weeks off.

This is a vast improvement from the leave required by the government under the Family and Medical Leave Act, which states that qualifying female employees must be offered 12 weeks of job-protected unpaid leave.

“These expanded benefits will help us attract, retain and inspire the best people,” said Steve Rohleder, group chief executive at Accenture, in a written statement.

The new policy went into effect March 1. It also offers up to eight weeks of paid parental leave after the birth or adoption of a new child for other primary caregivers and enhances the amount of paid leave for secondary caregivers.

The additional benefits build on Accenture’s current comprehensive support for parents, which includes access to 40 hours of backup child care per year and a library of community-based programs and resources, the company said.