BAT Pledges New Benefits for all New Parents Worldwide

London (ots/PRNewswire) -

British American Tobacco (BAT), which employs more than 55,000
people, is delighted to announce the launch of a new range of
benefits available in all of the countries it operates in throughout
the world - with the aim of helping its new parents to balance their
home and work lives during the demanding and exciting first year of
parenthood.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/771688/BAT_Logo.jpg )

Effective globally from 1 January 2019, the new initiative insists
on a minimum of 16 weeks' fully paid maternity leave for new mothers
and adoptive parents and also includes a return to work guarantee,
flexible working opportunities and an online advice service offering
coaching support for all parents whenever they need it.

Today's announcement will make a major difference in many of the
180 countries in which the Group operates - offering significantly
better terms than existing legal requirements in a number of markets,
including its US business Reynolds American Inc, which was acquired
by the BAT Group in 2017, where new mothers currently receive on
average only six weeks paid leave, in line with U.S legislation.

Some of the other countries who will benefit from the minimum 16
weeks' fully paid maternity leave element of this new initiative,
include: Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan, Nigeria, Argentina, Algeria,
Morocco, Egypt and Pakistan. In total, this new benefit will go above
and beyond local requirements in 26 countries where BAT directly
employs 20,000 people.

Nicandro Durante, CEO at British American Tobacco, said:

"Here at BAT, it's of such great importance to us that our
organisation is made up of as many different types of people as
possible - ensuring they are rewarded, appreciated and supported,
especially at times when they need it most.

"We want to ensure no-one at BAT has to choose between their
career and their family and that's why this will be available to
colleagues all over the world. We are proud to be offering this new
range of parental benefits on a global scale and we are looking
forward to seeing the changes this will hopefully make to the lives
of both our current and future employees."

The three key pillars to the new package of global parental
benefits are:

16 weeks' minimum pay and a return to work guarantee - wherever
you are in the world

Although BAT already goes above and beyond local legislation in
many of the countries it operates in, Parents@BAT will ensure all new
mothers and adoptive parents will receive a minimum of 16 weeks of
paid maternity leave, regardless of location, with BAT supplementing
statutory pay where required. A return to work guarantee means that
all new mothers who are on maternity leave (or parents who are on
adoption leave) for 12 months or less will be able to return to their
previous job, or a suitable alternative wherever reasonably
practicable.

Flexible work opportunities - recognising the modern world we
live in

All new parents and adopters will have the opportunity to request
flexible working arrangements following their return to work during
the first year of the child's birth or arrival. Depending on role and
location, this could mean one or more days off per working week,
reduced working hours or the flexibility to work from home subject to
local business requirements.

Online parental coaching support - support at a time when new
parents need it most

BAT has created an informative on-line coaching service -
'Parents@BAT Online' - to not only help new parents, but also to
ensure line managers are fully prepared for career discussions and
equipped to support those returning to work. It aims to answer some
of the questions new parents didn't even know they would have -
providing tips and advice to help make the transition from maternity
or adoption leave that little bit easier.

Already going above and beyond in many countries across the world

While Parents@BAT provides minimum guidelines, BAT's support for
new parents already goes far beyond these, and local statutory
requirements, in many countries. In the UK, for example, parents on
maternity leave receive six months' full pay and pro-rata bonus,
statutory pay for three months and a return to work guarantee.

NOTES TO EDITORS

- This will be effective in all countries worldwide from 1 January
2019.

About British American Tobacco

British American Tobacco (BAT) is one of the world's leading,
multi-category consumer goods companies, that provides tobacco and
nicotine products to millions of consumers around the world. It
employs over 55,000 people, with market leadership in over 55
countries and factories in 42. Its Strategic Portfolio is made up of
its global cigarette brands and an increasing range of potentially
reduced-risk products, comprising vapour and tobacco heating
products, as well as oral tobacco and nicotine products such as moist
snuff and snus.

In 2017 the Group generated reported revenue of £20 billion and
profit from operations of £6.5 billion. In July 2017, British
American Tobacco p.l.c. acquired the remaining 57.8% of Reynolds
American Inc. that BAT did not already own, creating a stronger,
global tobacco and nicotine company.

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Original-Content von: British American Tobacco, übermittelt durch news aktuell