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AVR helps to secure new partnership leave

From 1 January 2020, the new Roche partnership leave of ten weeks applies to births and adoptions throughout Switzerland. It replaces the old arrangement of six days’ paid paternity leave. The existing regulation for mothers of eight mandatory and ten additional weeks of leave remains unchanged. By making this change, the company aims to make career and family life more compatible and to promote equal opportunities for both partners in their family and work lives.

The Roche Employees’ Association (AVR) played a key role in developing the new solution. “Following Novartis’ announcement in February 2019 that it would be introducing partnership leave of 14 weeks, we received numerous e-mails from Roche employees who also wanted to see an improvement in the position of fathers at the company,” recalls AVR President Adnan Tanglay. The AVR took the matter very seriously: “Other large corporations also provide their employees with very good benefits in this regard, especially the Scandinavian firms. The six days we offered at Roche were no longer in keeping with the times,” Adnan continues.

The AVR raised the issue repeatedly with management and Human Resources. In the autumn, the AVR was invited to the Learning & Development Center in Kaiseraugst, along with the Roche Works Council (AKR) and various networks such as Diversity & Inclusion. “It was important to us that what we offered benefited not just the fathers but both parents,” the AVR President stresses. The Roche solution also had to differ significantly from Novartis’ arrangement and shouldn’t simply be a copy.

The AVR is very happy with the outcome: “We welcome the new partnership leave regulation and have received only positive feedback from our members to date,” Adnan says.

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