Anheuser-Busch InBev, the largest beer company in the world, has stepped up its corporate game this year. Following announcements of environmental goals in the U.S. last month, the megabrewery has announced improvements to its global employee benefits in the form of a new parental leave policy.
AB InBev’s updated parental leave policy will affect nearly 200,000 full-time employees in 52 countries, Business Insider reports. In it, all primary caregivers are permitted a minimum of 16 weeks of fully paid leave. This includes benefits for parents who adopt children, have surrogate-born children, as well as fathers, who were formally not permitted the 16 weeks. Secondary caregivers are permitted two weeks of fully paid leave.
The new policy improves upon the primary caregiver laws in 33 of the 52 countries in which AB InBev operates, particularly benefiting employees in Africa, Asia-Pacific North, and Latin America.
David Almeida, AB InBev “chief people officer,” told Business Insider, “We recognize that families come in different shapes, sizes, and format, and we’ve tried to be as inclusive as possible in this policy.”
According to Business Insider, only 14 percent of Americans are covered by paid family leave policies. Other major companies that do offer equal parental leave include Netflix, Facebook, Spotify, and IKEA.
