This week, in a region where parental leave policies are disparate, Vero aligns with higher standards, effectively expanding paid leave for future fathers and mothers.
Given the rapid expansion of Vero’s business, the parental experience for team members across Southeast Asia has come into greater focus
While compensated maternity leave in Vietnam is offered for 6 months by legal standards, other countries where Vero is based – namely Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand, have shorter maternity leave.
In a unifying move, Vero announces the standardization of 6 months of paid maternity leave, effectively offering to cover the duration and amount of salary not supported by local social security systems. This policy is provided to all Vero team members with 1 year of service.
“In our cultural approach which encourages a regional convergence of best practices, it seemed imperative to provide equal treatment to our team members. To be at their best professionally, our aspiring parents should be provided with the same standards of supporting policies. It was only natural that we settled for the highest standards, as we believe reliable family life is imperative to nurture a strong professional life,” says Raphael Lachkar, COO, ASEAN at Vero.
Maternity leave and returning to work
Besides expanding the duration of paid coverage, Vero will also focus on customizing the path of return to work, allowing parents to reappropriate their professional rhythm as they see most fit.
“We have noticed that many parents considering parental leave are anxious about their status upon return or their absence sets off a desire to stay in touch with their work – out of passion,” adds Supreeyaporn Sihawong, People & Culture Manager in Vero’s Bangkok office.
For that reason, flexibility and control rendered to the employee are at the heart of a seamless experience both for the leaving parent and their peers.
Fathers are active parents too
While women are usually identified as the primary caregiver and thus are targeted with the bulk of family-oriented policies, Vero aligns with expanded definitions of family dynamics, where men embrace their roles as caregivers. To make the workplace more adapted to balanced ambitions among men and women, Vero has also upgraded parental leave coverage for new fathers, unifying the regional policy to 1 month.
“As one half of an ambitious and active couple myself, I realized how important it was to shape policies in a way that does not favor only one career ahead of the other. By leveraging paternity leave, we acknowledge that our workplace allows our new parents to flourish both privately and professionally, regardless of their gender,” concludes Vu-Quan Nguyen-Masse, VP of Culture & Brand, ASEAN at Vero.