Standardised minimum 20-week parental leave provisions irrespective of gender,
relationship status or how a child comes to permanently join an employee’s family.
Standard Chartered globally has announced the rollout of enhanced
parental leave benefits. From 1 September 2023, the Bank will be standardising the amount of
parental leave offered for both mothers and fathers and providing both parents with the
opportunity for greater equality in caregiving responsibilities for their children.
With the enhanced parental leave benefits, employees can look forward to a minimum of 20
weeks of paid parental leave, irrespective of gender, relationship status or how a child comes to
permanently join an employee’s family, including adoption.
Tanuj Kapilashrami, Group Head of Human Resources, Standard Chartered, said: “We
continuously look at how we can introduce progressive benefits that drive inclusion, improve the
employee experience, and help colleagues achieve their potential.
By standardising parental leave benefits, we are supporting cultural change with regard to shared
childcare responsibilities, with the objectives of improving women’s participation and progression
in the workplace, positively impacting families’ financial wellbeing, and creating a more inclusive
workplace that supports each individual’s unique family planning choices.”
“Equity, inclusivity, and diversity are the very DNA of Standard Chartered,” said Bingumal
Thewarathanthri, CEO, Standard Chartered Sri Lanka. “We firmly believe that fostering an
environment where every colleague feels valued and empowered to succeed is essential for
business excellence. This step towards equal parental leave benefits is a testament to our
commitment to nurturing our employees’ personal and professional aspirations.”
Standard Chartered Sri Lanka’s Head of Human Resources, Ransi Dharmasiriwardhana, further
emphasised the Bank’s commitment to setting an example. “Our pledge to uphold values and
promote diversity and inclusion remain unwavering and we hope our efforts would inspire other
organisations locally to follow suit. Together, we can make strides toward a more inclusive
society, taking a stand to lift participation of the female workforce by standardising parental leave
across genders, and contributing to enhancing gender equality in employment by reducing the
unconscious bias of ‘motherhood penalty’ effecting female participation.”
The enhanced benefits have been designed to support all working parents and the family unit.
This is part of the Bank’s commitment towards driving an equitable and inclusive culture, where
employees are able to achieve their potential while balancing family life with a successful career.
About Standard Chartered
We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 53 of the world’s most dynamic
markets and serving clients in a further 64. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity
through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise,
here for good.
Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges.
For more stories and expert opinions, please visit Insights at sc.com. Follow Standard Chartered
on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
About Standard Chartered Sri Lanka
Standard Chartered Sri Lanka is one of the oldest international banks in Sri Lanka. Standard
Chartered Bank is a limited liability company registered under the laws of England and Wales by
Royal Charter 1853, having a branch office in Sri Lanka – Reg. No. F3/B. Our purpose is to drive
commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are
expressed in our brand promise, here for good. We support both individual and corporate needs
to build wealth and drive commerce at every step of their journey. We do this by offering an entire
range of financial services across Personal, Priority and Business Banking as well as our
Commercial and Corporate Banking teams.
Follow Standard Chartered Sri Lanka on Facebook and Instagram.
For more stories, please visit our Global and Local websites.
Standard Chartered Sri Lanka is a licensed commercial bank supervised by the Central Bank of
Sri Lanka and is rated AAA (lka) by Fitch Ratings Lanka Ltd.