Maersk Tankers to offer 24 weeks’ paid parental leave to new parents

A new Danish legislation taking effect in August 2022 will give each parent the right to a total of 24 weeks’ parental leave after childbirth or adoption. Of those 24 weeks, 11 weeks are earmarked for each parent, while the remaining 13 weeks can be taken by either parent. Going beyond this legislation, Maersk Tankers will offer its employees the 24 weeks’ parental leave on full salary. For fathers, who were offered a maxiumum of 14 weeks’ paid parental leave previously, this means a significant increase of parental leave they can take on full pay.

“We strive to be more inclusive in the support we offer our people,” says Annelise Goldstein, Chief People Officer at Maersk Tankers. “With this decision, we want to provide them with a better foundation for deciding what suits their family best and at the same time, we want to encourage any parent to take parental leave.”  

The new policy applies to employees in Denmark with children born after 2 August 2022. Mothers will continue to receive an additional four weeks’ paid pregnancy leave before the birth. To its employees in India, Singapore and the US, Maersk Tankers offers a total of four weeks’ paid paternity leave, on top of what is offered by local regulations.

To support employees, Maersk Tankers offers a global support programme for new parents before, during and after the parental leave is taken. The programme is continuously updated with new initiatives, such as a parental leave café, where employees can meet other parents working within shipping and get support on having a smooth transition between parental leave and working life afterwards.

The company also offers a Return-To-Work programme, which gives employees returning from parental leave of more than 18 weeks the opportunity to work 20% fewer hours at full contractual pay, for up to 26 weeks. It can be used during the first year after childbirth or adoption. This phased return allows employees an easier transition back to work.