I’m so proud to work in a company that supports gender equality, diversity and employee wellbeing, and one that understands that every family situation and personal decision is unique and just…personal. 

This is especially important since late last week, as we witnessed the landmark US Supreme Court repeal of Roe v Wade, making abortion illegal and no longer a constitutional right in the US after 50 years. While Blis is not a partisan organisation, we feel that this decision is tragic and wrong. We staunchly support gender equality for all and, importantly, women’s rights to make their own decisions about their own bodies. Speaking as a woman born and raised in America, I find the decision to be a dangerous and jarring step back in time that is as consequential as it is shocking. 

As a global organisation with offices in the US, and in light of the reversal of Roe v Wade, we want to show our support for the women of Blis who may be impacted by this ruling. From today, Blis is offering to cover travel expenses for our female employees in the US who may need to cross state lines for medical treatment, as well as their partners to accompany them. And if the partner of a Blis employee needs to seek such treatment, we will also cover the travel cost for both of them as well. As this ruling puts women’s health and agency over their own bodies in jeopardy, we felt it was the right thing to do to actively support our team members who might be impacted now or in the future. 

This is just one of our forward-thinking and inclusive policies. Another, rolled out earlier this year, is our pregnancy loss policy. Any Blis employee who has been affected by a loss at any stage of the pregnancy (including partners and those with a surrogate mother) is entitled to four weeks leave on full pay. We know that emotional and physical recovery from a pregnancy loss takes time, and we want to support our colleagues through this difficult time with flexible policies. 

Additionally, I’m also proud to share our progressive parental leave policy, rolled out late last year. We offer all tenured Blis employees 16 weeks of paid leave and the option to work flexibly when they return – not just for the new mums of Blis, but also the new dads. Importantly, this is in addition to any paid parental leave granted by local laws and regulations, making it all the more impactful. We hope this makes a real difference at a key life moment for our team members across the globe.

At the other end of the spectrum, we have also rolled out a menopause policy to the women of Blis before, during and after the menopause. Calling out this often taboo subject and empowering the women of Blis to ask for adjustments they may need to ease their symptoms so they can more comfortably carry out their daily roles at home or at the office, or if symptoms are more severe, they are eligible for up to 10 days of paid leave. We hope this will also help to foster an environment where open discussions with managers and colleagues can happen and will go a long way to combating ageism and breaking down barriers and taboos.

I’m personally looking forward to seeing Blis continue to innovate on the equality and wellbeing front – as we do with our technology – to support our teams and continue to build and foster a welcoming, inclusive culture globally.