Employee Stories

Rishi’s story

Disbelief, delight and diaper changes

Rishi Lalwani shares how the Bank’s enhanced parental leave benefit has supported his family’s choices and transformed his parenting journey.

A timely ‘typo’

Is that a typo with an extra “0”? That was my initial reaction when I saw the announcement about the Bank’s enhanced parental leave benefit that extended paid parental leave to a minimum of 20 weeks.

The disbelief quickly turned into delight as I realised that the new global policy would come into effect just one month before our daughter, Ahana, was due. It transformed the parenting journey for me and my wife as both of us are working parents and it gave us the opportunity, and the flexibility, to balance the choices that are right for our family with successful careers.

From co-pilot to sole pilot

When Ahana was born in October 2023, I was able to be a co-pilot and take on an equal share of parental responsibilities right from the start. I took six weeks of paid parental leave for our newborn and my wife and I took turns with diaper changes, swaddling and other baby duties (including taking turns at attempting to get sufficient sleep!)

When my wife’s maternity leave was over in February, I took my remaining fourteen weeks of paid parental leave and my daytime responsibilities changed from that of a co-pilot to a sole pilot. During this period, I took on primary caregiver duties and it meant that my wife was able to return to work with less ‘mom guilt’ and she was better able to balance her career with family.

What was most wonderful about this arrangement was that Ahana had the benefit of having one full-time parent for the first eight months of her life. I also had the opportunity to witness many of Ahana’s developmental milestones that typically only mothers may get the chance to experience, and I will cherish these memories for life.

An unparalleled employee experience

I’m thankful for the Bank’s leadership in spearheading employee friendly policies such as enhanced parental leave benefits. I’m equally thankful to have supportive bosses and colleagues – with open and early communication and collaboration we were able to minimise the impact of my parental leave on the team’s performance and business outcomes. 

I feel proud to be part of an organisation that doesn’t just focus on creating a better client experience but also an unparalleled employee experience.