In the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, enabling young parents to reconcile work and family life is a priority. To do this, there are three possibilities for parental leave:
- full-time leave for 4 or 6 months
- part-time leave for 8 or 12 months
- split leave: over a maximum period of 20 months at the rate of 1 day per week or 4 times per month.
Céline didn’t hesitate. As a manager of an EU project in a nature park in Luxembourg, she knew right away that she would prefer to get back to work quickly. “The 6 months full-time at home didn't quite suit my personality. I was afraid of feeling isolated, even though my colleagues and mum recommended this option," she explains.
Part-time leave is subject to the agreement of the company. But in Céline's case, her employer gave her all the options.» They were great" she adds. "I convinced them that I could still keep an eye on the files in progress even working half my normal hours".
The split option is more particularly designed for foreigners who represent 47% of the Luxembourg population. This way a young mother is able to organise long trips to go home to see her family, at the rate of four trips of one month in summer or at Christmas for example, over a period of 20 months.