Telecommunication firm Flow is applauding the announcement from the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service that the proposed introduction of paternity leave for fathers of newborn is slated to come into effect on January 1, 2023.

“The company is in full support of the newly introduced paternity leave. This is a move that the company had previously put in place, and we are excited to hear that other companies will be doing so as well,” said Phadra Saunders, director, people business partner at Flow.

Saunders was speaking during a C&W Business webinar which was held under the theme: ‘Gender Based Violence – Breaking the Silence, Taking Action’.

This announcement was made Dr Nigel Clarke, minister of finance and the public service, and later reiterated by Marsha Smith, state minister in the finance ministry.

Smith also advised that the proposed increase of paid maternity leave from 40 days to three months (60 working days) will commence on January 1.

She was speaking at the Civil Service Week Public Forum at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel on November 22.

Saunders said the company has always been ardent about putting in place policies that benefited its workers.

“We are particularly keen on reinforcing good things (policies). For our parental leave policy, our birthing parent, the mother, gets 16 weeks maternity leave and the partner, whether husband or boyfriend, gets eight weeks.”

“Can you imagine the pride that men will now have to be able to help support when their new baby is here?” Saunders continued.

She noted that the eight weeks can be taken by the father anytime within a year after the birth of the child and can also be taken in stages.

“Many fathers in our organisation wait until the mother has gone back to work and then they take their eight weeks, so the child has more time with at home with a parent,” Saunders shared.

She added: “We are very happy to see this being introduced widely. We just believe that these are the right things to do if we want men and women in our society to really feel empowered. We will continue to put polices like these in place.”

Saunders said the announcement was a move in the right direction.