Monzo, the online bank, has become one of the first UK companies to offer paid leave for employees who are affected by the loss of a pregnancy.
The bank’s policy will give either partner up to 10 extra days of paid leave if they lose a baby due to abortion, miscarriage or stillbirth, regardless of when in the pregnancy it happens.
“This also includes colleagues who are partners or surrogate mothers, recognising that pregnancy loss doesn’t just affect women or heterosexual couples,” the bank said. Extra leave can be approved by managers if staff feel they need more than two weeks.
Under UK employment law, businesses only have to allow parents to use planned maternity or paternity leave if they lose their baby after 24 weeks, when it is considered a stillbirth.
Any loss before that is counted as a miscarriage and does not qualify them for maternity leave or pay. It is then up to the discretion of employers whether to offer compassionate leave, annual leave or unpaid holiday.
In the UK, more than one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage, resulting in roughly 250,000 losses each year, according to the Miscarriage Association. Most occur in the first three months of pregnancy.
...The Guardian
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