Our new parental leave policy helps Michael to share precious moments with his family

We will listen to different communities with a learning mindset to do what we can to contribute to building a world that is safer and more inclusive.

At Novartis, we celebrate life and recognize moments that matter. One of the most life changing moments our associates experience is becoming a parent and welcoming new life into their lives.​

From January 2021, all Novartis employees around the world can benefit from a minimum period of 14 weeks paid parental leave following the birth or adoption of a child, effective from their first day of employment. Where employees are in countries that currently offer them more than 14 weeks’ paid leave, we will honor that, for both parents.

By offering the same parental leave to all parents, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, we seek to promote greater equity for birthing and non-birthing parents and give everyone the flexibility and opportunity to make the choices appropriate for their families.

Some of our associates share their stories of parental leave below.

Vincent Rossignol shares his experience of adopting his daughter and how paid parental leave has helped him and his partner have the opportunity to spend quality moments together as a family.

Michael Wieser shares his experience of becoming a father for the second time, and how paid parental leave has helped him and his wife decide together how best to care for their growing family while being supported by his team in embracing these precious moments.

Alfred Ambatlle shares his experience of becoming a father of twins, and how paid parental leave has helped him and his partner bond with their baby boy and girl during the first months.