A2A, 120 million plan to 2035 to support parenting

Listen to the audio version of the article

A2A has launched the A2A Life Caring project, a plan to support the parenting of employees which envisages investments of 120 million euros by 2035. A broad and transversal program testifying to the group’s commitment to supporting the birth rate in a historical phase characterized by continuous demographic decline in the country.

«The demographic collapse is one of the most urgent and complex challenges that Italy faces. Also on this issue we are aware that companies have a social responsibility that they cannot avoid and for this reason, in our new Strategic Plan to 2035, we have allocated 120 million euros to support our colleagues in the growth path of their children, or in their future parenting plans. For example, we have provided an annual contribution of up to 3,250 euros for the first 3 years of the child’s life”, underlines the group’s CEO Renato Mazzoncini.

Additional months of maternity leave

The program, developed in agreement with trade union representatives, provides an additional month of 100% paid maternity leave for all mothers and a month of 100% paid leave for all new fathers. Furthermore, the group will contribute to the expenses incurred by employees for services relating to their children’s education – such as books, school fees, nursery schools, babysitters – differentiated by age group and up to the age of eighteen.

In Italy fertility is at an all-time low

The plan was presented together with the report “The birth rate and the challenges of parenthood in Italy: the role of companies for a new sustainable welfare model”, created by Bocconi University with the support of A2A itself, from which it emerged that in In our country, fertility is at an all-time low and by 2080 the number of residents will drop to 45.8 million. Already today, Italy is among the states with the highest number of elderly people and in 2050 people over 65 will represent 34.5% of the total.

Private intervention

Previous studies surveyed by the study have established that corporate interventions in favor of parenthood in non-Italian contexts are associated with an average increase of 12.7% in employees’ fertility intentions, thus leaving room for a contribution from the private sector through introduction of virtuous initiatives.