We are Parents @ Temenos Blog
Meet Our Parents:
Mary Bennaton and César Torres based out of Temenos Ecuador. Both are now proud parents of cute Mateo.
Mateo Torres Bennaton AKA “Temenosito”, was born on Sunday, January 23rd, 2022. His story is unique because both of his parents, César Torres, Senior Business Consultant & Mary Bennaton, Senior Marketing Executive work at Temenos so he was named “Baby Temenosian” even before his birth.
I have to say we have been very fortunate to become new parents with the support of a company like Temenos, because thanks to the new parental leave policy, I was able to get 20 weeks of paid maternity leave and my husband César was able to get two weeks of parental leave. In Ecuador, where we are based, the maternity leave policy according to law is only 12 weeks so I was able to get 8 more weeks and I have been truly blessed.
One of my concerns before Temenos was, “thinking about starting a family” and not having the support of your employer, but luckily for me this life changing event has been possible due to the outstanding benefits given by Temenos to new parents.
While pregnant, I was given the option to work until I was able to (or when my body allowed me to), so I worked until week 38, one week before Mateo was born. This gave me the opportunity to create a continuity plan around my work responsibilities for the months I was going to be on leave and most importantly, be able to enjoy the first months of my son for a longer period. Becoming a new mother, although it has been the most gratifying experience of my life, it has also been the most demanding time of my life. As all new mothers might say, motherhood is a gift – but it can also be very challenging – a burst of emotions, constant highs and lows from the hormone spikes, being happy but scared at the same time, sleep deprived and to heal from birth (in my case a C-section). It’s such a life changing moment when you will need the most support from your family, friends and of course employer.
I have felt supported at Temenos since day one when I announced my pregnancy. My line manager back then, supported me by allowing me to have flexible work hours when I had my OBGYNS appointments, and also when I got COVID while pregnant (not fun let me tell you). Additionally, I felt supported by my wonderful colleagues and HR department, who also hosted a beautiful baby shower for us, where they named Mateo “Temenosito”.
I have now returned from maternity leave, where I had a very warm welcome from my team and line managers. I have also had the flexibility to get lactation hours and making sure the transition period goes smoothly for me. Above all of that, both César and I, although based out of the Temenos Ecuador office, have had the flexibility to work from our home country, Honduras – where our parents could help us with childcare especially during the first weeks of transition for me. We are truly grateful for this opportunity and the support we have received from Temenos has been unconditional. Thank you Temenos for helping new parents every step of the way!
At Temenos we encourage our employees to take full advantage of our family friendly benefits and that includes our parental leave policy. We believe parents – moms and dads, shouldn’t miss one second of those tender moments with their newborns.