Molson Coors gives UK staff two extra weeks paid ‘Life Leave’

Brewing giant Molson Coors will offer staff in the UK an additional two weeks of paid leave to manage important everyday tasks from moving house to preparing for a wedding.

Molson Coors’s employees will be able to use “Life Leave” on top of their existing holiday entitlement and all other leave policies, including sickness and compassionate absence.

The two weeks are meant to be used for important everyday tasks, which can include “anything from taking time to settle in a new puppy at home, moving house, studying for exams, or the days leading up to a wedding,” according to a statement from the brewer.

The brewer’s offer to staff comes shortly after spirits giant Diageo said it would revise its parental leave policy across its global business over the course of 2019. Under the new policy, female employees in all markets will be able to take a minimum of 26 weeks of fully paid leave when they become mothers. The company has also set a minimum of four weeks paternity leave on full rate of pay across its global business, with a “significant number” of Diageo’s businesses moving to 26 weeks fully paid paternity leave.

Molson Coors employs over 2,000 people around the UK, and recently received a Silver medal from mental health charity, Mind in its annual Workplace Wellbeing Index.

Phil Whitehead, Molson Coors’ UK managing director, said that working culture in the UK “has changed”

“For our people to perform at their best, we recognise they need an employer that provides flexibility and understands their personal priorities,” he said.

“There are often things going on in our lives which we would normally use annual leave to sort out, but this eats into actual downtime. We wanted to change that and give our people the ability to take care of what matters in their life without running down holiday days.”

Many members of staff already work on a flexible basis, according to UK and Ireland HR director Adam Firby.

Many of our employees already work on a flexible basis, but we wanted to take this one step further. Launching ‘Life Leave’ allows people to use their holiday as it’s meant to be – a break – whilst knowing they’ve got the breathing space to tap into extra leave for the planned and unplanned life moments.

“One of our driving principles is to empower our people to come to work as themselves, without feeling pressure to fit a corporate mould or to always keep their personal life away from work,” he said.