Wavin is offering employees six months of paid parental leave and will cover 50% of their childcare costs until their children are at school.
The Staffordshire, UK based plumbing and drainage company launched the initiatives to help new parents with young families through the cost-of-living crisis.
According to the firm’s UK and Ireland territory director, Mike Ward, the business wants to support its workers because they are integral to its success.
He said: “Our people are our greatest asset. They’re the ones behind the innovative solutions we develop for our customers and, if there’s anything holding them back from making the most of their careers, we want to help.
“A big part of this is about supporting young families, and in particular women who we know as a group are disproportionately impacted by the rising costs of childcare. Our industry has worked hard to combat perceptions around being male-orientated, so we want to do everything we can to continue supporting underrepresented groups.”
Other employee benefits offered by Wavin include female-focused mentoring and coaching programmes and the opportunity to share and discuss experiences with a menopause support group, as well as shape company policies on women’s health.
The business has also introduced graduate and internship schemes to help “the next generation of talent” which have so far benefited 25-plus individuals in the six years since its launch, with half becoming permanent members of members upon completion of the programme.
Wavin has also committed to supporting the next generation of talent. Launched in 2017, the graduate and internship programmes have helped more than 25 people, with 50% going on to become permanent colleagues.
Heather Graham, marketing intern at Wavin, added: “The scheme has helped me to recognise how much there is to learn about marketing and I’m grateful for all of the advice, support and opportunities I’ve received so far. I feel like I’ve been given the chance to fully make the role my own, and it’s clear that there is there is plenty of scope for me to progress my career at Wavin.”
