Three Working Dads At Diageo North America Explain The Importance Of Gender-Neutral Parental Leave

The past couple of years have reimagined the role of all working parents, but little has been shared about the impact the global pandemic has had on new fathers. Millions in the U.S. became fathers this past year. While 90% of fathers take some time off after their children are born, the majority of them take less than 10 days away from the job. This is a problem, as there is an economic impact correlated to the use of parental leave by fathers.

Gender-neutral parental leave is a growing trend, according to Working Mother Research Institute—a finding backed up by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). SHRM found that 55% of organizations surveyed now provide paternity leave, and 35% offer extended family care leave.

Two years ago, consumer goods company Diageo North America announced a parental leave policy that included 26 weeks of paid leave for parents, regardless of gender. This policy was established with inclusion in mind, extending to male-identified parents, LGBTQIA+ families, and employees who become parents through adoption and surrogacy. The company was also one of 300 companies to sign the PL+US letter urging Congress to create a national paid family and medical leave program.

Below a few parents who identify as fathers at Diageo North America share their experiences leveraging the full six months of parental leave amidst a global pandemic, demonstrating why it is important for companies to now offer parental leave for employees of all genders.

Carlos “Charlie” Esquivel, Director of Consumer Planning for Vodka category

“Policies like this allow dads to experience parenthood in a fuller way. I think so much of the punishment on motherhood in the workplace can be reduced or improved by offering the same benefits to fathers.”

Charlie is a first-time father in a same-sex marriage, who said this policy gave him a once in a lifetime chance to be a full-time parent and the opportunity for his son to spend almost his first year with one or both fathers at home (between his and his husband’s parental leave). He took parental leave from October 2019 – May 2020.

Iven Breneger, Senior Brand Manager at Don Julio

“There’s an opportunity here for men to contribute much more to child-raising while pursuing a career.”

Iven and his wife are from Australia with no extended family in the U.S., who said knowledge of the Diageo North America policy helped them decide to have children, knowing they’d be supported. He took parental leave from July 2020 – January 2021 and was able to travel to his home country during that time.

Edgar Knizhnik, Senior Brand Manager at Captain Morgan

“Because it’s such a generous amount of time, it allows you to plan around your own family’s needs. I don’t know how we would’ve made it through without the leave.”

Edgar is a first-time father of twins whose wife’s parental leave policy through her employer was unpaid, making it crucial for him to stay home and help with the childcare of two infants. He took parental leave from November 2019 – May 2020.

Executive Vice President of Human Resources at Diageo North America Laura Watt explains how the paternity leave policy continues to support gender equality: “This policy is central to how we continually support a work environment that is purpose-led, performance-enhancing and competitive with our peer companies.”

Diageo North America has several alcohol brands under its consumer portfolio, including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit, Smirnoff, Cîroc, and others. This year net sales grew 16% and their North American market saw a 20.2% increase in organic growth. Headquartered in New York, the company has over 2,300 employees across the globe.