Richard Branson Does It Again: Founder Of Virgin Group Offers Employees Up To 12 Months Paternity Leave With Full Pay

Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Group’s founder, has made life better for employees once again by announcing that he is offering new fathers working for his company the chance to spend more time with their newborns by giving them up to 12 months of paternity leave, with their salaries paid in full.

The good news to new fathers came on Monday, when Branson and Virgin Management CEO Josh Bayliss made an announcement.

“This is ground-breaking move from Virgin Management, which demonstrates that the health and wellbeing of our people is at our core. Having a child is a life-changing experience and this policy means our employees have the opportunity to enjoy the time with their families and have a great career.”

The offer is open to Virgin Management employees who avail of the shared paternal leave advantage, which allows them to split 12 months of leave between them. According to Business Insider, the newly-announced policy is open to new parents, and that includes fathers and also adoptive parents. New parents who have been with Virgin Management for less than two years will receive 25 percent of their base pay, while those who have been with the company for a minimum of four years will get 100 percent of their base pay during the 12-month paternity leave.

Richard Branson explained why it is important for him to offer a paternity leave policy to his employees, reported the Mirror.

“I believe if you take care of your employees they will take care of your business. As a father and now a proud granddad to three wonderful grandchildren, I know how magical the first year of a child’s life is but also how much hard work it takes. I’m delighted that we can offer this support to our staff so that they can enjoy parental leave to the full.”

This isn’t the first time that Richard Branson gave good news to his employees. Last year, the Inquisitr reported that Branson gave his employees the option to take unlimited leaves from work, whenever they want, wherever they want. Virgin’s website posted a statement regarding the announcement.

“The policy-that-isn’t permits all salaried staff to take off whenever they want for as long as they want. There is no need to ask for prior approval and neither the employees themselves nor their managers are asked or expected to keep track of their days away from the office.”

The only thing Richard Branson asks from his employees is that they take their vacation when they are 100 percent confident that they are up-to-date on their work and that their absence will not negatively impact their careers or the business.

What do you think about Richard Branson’s work policies? Give your comments below.

[Photo by Don Arnold/Getty Images]