Industry-first: Gallagher Bassett Australia offers paid leave for reproductive health

Gallagher Bassett Australia, a leading provider of claims and risk management services, has launched a paid reproductive leave policy in a first for the insurance and financial services industry.

The company will provide up to 10 days of paid leave per year for IVF treatment, chronic reproductive health conditions such as endometriosis, preventative screening for breast or prostate cancers, and other reproductive health treatments.

Pete Nicholson, Chief Executive Officer of Gallagher Bassett Australia, said the policy was part of the company’s commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace culture.

“We recognise that reproductive health and wellbeing is an important and often overlooked aspect of employee wellness, and we want to support our people through their reproductive journey, whatever that may look like for them,” he said.

“We believe this policy is a game-changer for our industry and sets a new benchmark for how employers can care for their staff.”

Tanith Jones, General Manager – People & Culture at Gallagher Bassett Australia, said the policy was developed to complement additional changes to primary and secondary caregiver leave.

“We listened to the feedback and experiences of our employees, as well as the latest research and best practices on reproductive health and wellbeing. In addition to reproductive leave, we have also increased our paid primary caregiver leave to 16 weeks, and secondary caregiver leave to two weeks,” she said.

“We are proud to offer these benefits for our people and are looking forward to seeing the change this will make for our workforce and the industry.”

Gallagher Bassett Australia has over 1,600 employees across Australia and provides claims and risk management services to general insurance and personal injury schemes.