Parents@Swiss Re

It is important to us that our employees can always put their families first. Therefore, we offer a range of programmes, services and support in a number of locations.

The Parents@Swiss Re brochure provides parents with important information on pregnancy and parenthood. From how to inform their line manager to balancing family and work, the brochure contains helpful background information on labour law and the solutions Swiss Re offers.

In general, our employees can count on diverse options such as additional family allowance, one-off childbirth allowance, additional paid maternity and paternity leave, or the option to take unpaid leave. These benefits are tailored to the local needs of our workforce and therefore differ from region to region. In Bratislava – one of our high growth locations – we introduced the concept of “maternity buddies” in 2015: Every mother on maternity leave has a maternity buddy who informs her about current activities in the team while she is on maternity leave. In 2016, we increased the communication flow to maternity leavers providing them with regular updates about news concerning the organisation as well as open positions to encourage their return. Furthermore, we are currently evaluating the feasibility of establishing a kindergarten in the new Swiss Re premises.

To accommodate the needs of working parents, we have a number of initiatives in place. Last year, approximately 165 children in Switzerland attended our one-week vacation programmes during the spring and summer school holidays, enabling their parents to continue working. We also offer a number of reserved places at day care centres in and around Zurich. Furthermore, our external childcare provider helps parents find emergency nannies and gives guidance in all questions related to childcare.

In 2016, we organised two events in Singapore that were dedicated to families. We held a “Kids at Work” workshop where children could experience a day in the office with their parent and join in various fun activities with other children. Furthermore, employees and their children could enjoy a range of activities at the “Family Day” event, which our CEO Reinsurance Asia also joined.