Mumsnet welcomes Tesco’s decision to publish parental leave policies

The campaign was first launched in 2019 in response to concerns from users that asking about maternity policies at interview would jeopardise their chances of a job offer. At the time, fewer than a quarter (23) of the FTSE100 published their policies.

Mumsnet are urging the government to make publication compulsory for large employers, but in the meantime have encouraged employers to take the initiative and ensure potential employees are aware of their maternity, paternity and adoption leave policies.

The most recent analysis of the FTSE100 shows a marked improvement on 2019, with 43 organisations now publishing the relevant information.

Justine Roberts, Founder and CEO of Mumsnet said:

“Publishing parental leave is a small, cost-free change for businesses that encourages a race to the top for employers and helps tackle the gender pay gap.  We’re delighted that Mumsnet’s campaigning has prompted Tesco to publish their policies and help potential and existing employees make informed decisions about their future.”

James Goodman, Tesco’s People Director for UK & ROI, said:

“Everyone is welcome at Tesco, and we want to support all our colleagues to start a family at any stage of their career. We offer generous maternity and paternity packages to help our colleagues plan and manage their time away from the business more easily. We are happy to have published details on our external website to make it easier for prospective colleagues to see what our policies are across maternity, paternity and adoption leave, to know their rights and to understand what support they will receive.”

See our previous 2022 FTSE 100 analysis here.