Yorkshire Cricket is pleased to announce a raft of new family friendly policies.
The policies are designed to create an inclusive and safe environment for players and staff who are growing their families with the emphasis on providing choice.
As part of the new friendly policies rolled out across the Yorkshire Family – (Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC), Northern Diamonds, the Yorkshire Cricket Board (YCB) and the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation (YCF)) – is the introduction of six months’ full pay for colleagues on maternity or adoption leave, in what is believed to be a first in English cricket.
Yorkshire Cricket will also support pregnant players who wish to continue to be involved in the team environment, by ensuring the safety of the player and unborn child is considered through risk assessments and the ability to move into other suitable employment when needed.
Yorkshire has also enhanced co-parent leave with secondary carers able to take 12 weeks leave (four weeks at full pay) and to able to become the primary carer at any point in the first 52 weeks following birth, adoption or surrogacy, being entitled to up to 52 weeks shared parental leave with up to 13 weeks at full pay.
Jessica Platts, Director of People and Culture for YCCC, said: “We recognise that our people make the Club what it is – therefore supporting them at every stage of their lives really matters.
“Our focus is to provide our people with choices. Particularly for our Northern Diamonds, we want to ensure that they feel empowered to grow their family and then return to the playing squad if that is what they would like to do.
“We took time to understand the barriers that are currently in place for the players. For example, the new policies will offer protection for players on maternity or adoption leave and they will be included in all discussions regarding contract renegotiation or extensions and will have their contract extended for a period of not less than 12 months.
“We are also making it possible for players returning to the squad following maternity leave to bring their child under 12 months’ old and a support person to any training camps or overnight stays, which the Club will pay for.”
Recognising the significant impact of baby loss, Yorkshire Cricket has introduced a minimum of two weeks of paid leave – no questions asked – for anyone affected by pregnancy loss and further support for those facing stillbirth or neonatal care responsibilities.
Stephen Vaughan, Chief Executive Officer for YCCC, said: “We want to send a powerful message that we understand the challenges that growing a family, or devastating news about a loss, is real and deserves a caring approach.
“To create a world class environment, it is important that individuals focus on being the best they can be, without concerning themselves about the other challenges that life can throw at you.”
He added: “Across all of our family friendly policies, we will not only support parents, but hope to set a new benchmark for others in the sports sector to follow.”
Yorkshire Cricket consulted across the sports industry, including the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), in ensuring these policies meet the unique needs across the Yorkshire Family.
