A Dubai-based company has announced a new 70-day paid maternity leave policy. Retail design and production company Alpha Nero said the policy comes into force from February 2024.
The company joins a long list of local companies that are providing flexible work hours and longer maternity leave to women in order to retain good talent.
“As a mother of two children, I have chosen to extend maternity leave at Alpha Nero to 70 fully paid days to give women extra time to recover, bond with their babies, and ensure their family’s well-being. We believe that this will be a true game changer for maternal health and happiness,” said Severine Hoss, CFO and COO, Alpha Nero.
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In the UAE, the mandatory maternity leave is 45 calendar days, with employees of federal government getting 60 days off work. New mothers also get two 30-minute breaks for breastfeeding until the child is 2 years old.
Federal National Council (FNC) member Maryam Majid bin Thaniah had proposed an option to allow working mothers with children aged under 10, to have flexible working hours. In her proposal to Minister of State for Government Development and the Future, Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, she suggested a system where mothers could work in office in the first half of the day and remotely from home in the second.
Good leaders
With women in managerial positions, including CFO and COO roles, an all-female accounts department and head of logistics, Alpha Nero has witnessed first-hand the impact women make within the business.
“We are a fast growing, regional company focused on bringing the best to our team who are at the core of all we do and achieve as a business,” said the company’s CEO Simon Hacker. “Women play a huge part in our organisation. They lead from every chair and have a voice in what is seen as a largely male-dominated industry. This new policy is our way of continuing to champion women in business.”
As WEP (Women Empowerment Principal) signatories, the company said it carries a mission to enhance work-life balance for female employees, giving them a chance to have fulfilling careers and spend enough time with families as mothers and caretakers, to avoid the harmful effects of burnout.
Changing landscape
Several companies in the UAE have parent-friendly policies in place in order to offer better work-life balance.
Entrepreneur Shraddha Barot Amariei who founded White Label Media said all her business ventures provide 90 days of paid maternity leave. “We also provide work from home and hybrid work options to all working mothers,” she said. “Along with this, we also provide returnship options. Our entire board across all companies is led by women and we actively look to hire women who have come back after a maternity break. We offer all our female colleagues period leaves and work-from-home options. They are also allowed to take time off to plan their wedding and important moments of their lives like first day of school, looking after sick kids or if going through miscarriage or fertility treatments.”
Tish Tash Communications agency also provides flexible working hours to working mothers, allowing them to work from office in the first part of the day and the remaining from home.
Another local company, Fine Hygienic Holding, provides 16 weeks of fully paid maternity leave as well as three weeks of paid paternity leave.