Cummins offers six months paid parental leave
Global diesel engine specialist Cummins has introduced six months paid parental leave plus a return to work bonus for its local employees to encourage female employees to stay with the company.
Corporate counsel and Cummins spokesperson Kate Teixeira told CareerOne.com.au that gender diversity was a priority for the company that already employs women as diesel technicians and diesel mechanics as well as in HR, legal and engineering roles.
“We had 10 weeks paid parental leave for employees who had been with us for less than three years and 15 weeks paid leave for employees who had been with the company for three years or more,” says Ms Teixeira.
“When the government introduced its paid parental leave scheme we pushed to get [our paid scheme] plus offer a five per cent return to work bonus.”
The Federal Government pays 18 weeks at the minimum wage while Cummins will top this up with the difference between the minimum wage and the person’s normal wage. The six month paid leave will be available to the primary carer.
Cummins has its headquarters in Columbus, Ohio and has long been a champion of diversity. Cummins South Pacific is head quartered in Melbourne and employs over 1600 people at 40 branches across Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.
The paid parental leave policy was developed by Cummins HR and the company’s Women’s Affinity Group. Cummins South Pacific is a fully-owned subsidiary of Cummins Inc, the world’s largest independent diesel engine manufacturer headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.
“One of our strategies as the Women’s Affinity Group is to attract and retain more women – particularly in ‘shop’ and professional.Cummins globally has a very strong diversity focus we have diversity teams all over the globe. We also want to attract more indigenous, more apprentices and more women into the [technician and mechanic] roles.
Cummins is a past winner of the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency business awards.
