KUALA LUMPUR (March 8): Nestlé (Malaysia) Bhd has unveiled its new maternity policy for adoptive parents and primary caregivers, with a leave package of up to six months.

In a statement today, the firm said this was in line with its decision to enhance its overall parental leave benefits in Malaysia, which also include maternity and paternity leave benefits.

Under Nestlé's enhanced Parental Leave Policy, new mothers are entitled to paid and unpaid maternity leave of up to 180 days and new fathers are offered a week of paternity leave.

These enhanced parental leave benefits now places Nestlé as one of the best-in-class within the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry in Malaysia, it said.

Nestlé Malaysia executive director for human resources Shahzad Umar said the group understood that being a new parent can be a very challenging experience to adapt to.

"This is why we explored avenues to better support all new mothers and fathers at the start of their parenthood journey.

"Diversity and inclusion are integral values to Nestlé's and we are dedicated to cultivating an organisation culture which provides equal opportunities for all our employees. We hope that through these enhanced benefits, more parents will be encouraged to pursue their careers whilst also being able to spend more quality time with their families," he said.

Nestlé said it aims to be a gender balanced company in line with efforts to strengthen an inclusive culture.

With 34% of Nestlé Malaysia employees constituting women, the company said it has also put in place facilities and policies to create a nurturing workplace to empower women and encourage greater gender diversity.

At the midday break today, Nestlé Malaysia shed 0.07% or 10 sen to RM148, with 20,700 shares traded.