Parents & pay | Asda confirms 'significant' family leave enhancements - why are employers going 'above the normal'?

Asda has confirmed major improvements to its family benefits package, including expansions to maternity and adoptive leave, paternity leave, and leave for pregnancy loss pre-24 weeks.

The supermarket chain will also introduce a brand-new kinship carers leave policy, offering 26 weeks’ paid leave for staff with responsibilities to care for other children.

It comes just days after the government pledged a landmark, once-in-a-generation review of the UK’s parental leave and pay system, with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner asserting that supporting working parents is “vital for our economy.”

Helen Selby, Interim Chief People Officer & General Counsel at Asda, said the new policy shows the retailer’s “commitment to fostering an inclusive and colleague-focused workplace.”