Progress’ Post

Father's Day 2024: India's drive for gender-neutral parental policies From urban mindsets to rural realities, India is witnessing a shift in parental leave policies, challenging age-old norms and empowering a more balanced future for working families. #Culture Employee Relations, #Wellbeing, #HRCommunity

When it comes to parental policies most companies focus on parental pay, and the return back to work. Forward thinking companies are looking beyond offering just enhanced parental leave and return to work support. They are supporting their employees through unique ways and are giving people access to health experts throughout their reproductive journey. 80% of women consider not returning to their same job during maternity leave. That means many women have already made their mind up before they’ve even started that ace return to work package you’ve spent so much time creating. The support has to start the moment someone announces they are pregnant, not when they are about to come back to work.

I am heartened to see India making strides towards gender-neutral policies. These changes challenge age-old norms and pave the way for a more balanced future for working families. By offering equal parental leave to both mothers and fathers, we are not only empowering men to take an active role in child-rearing but also supporting women in their careers. This shift is crucial in fostering a culture where caregiving is seen as a shared responsibility, and it’s exciting to witness this progress on Father’s Day, a day that celebrates the importance of fatherhood. #FathersDay2024 #NewPolicies #HR #Management

[menses] SHOULD working women get paid menstrual leave? Indian Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani says menstruation is not a "handicap" deserving special paid leave. Menstrual hygiene activist Ms Amrita Singh says such leave should be given because a woman is "inherently different physically from men". (See The Straits Times, 21 Dec 2023) Working women (depending on country and company) get paid leave for baby delivery (maternity) and to take sick kids to doctor (childcare). All workers get paid leave for illness or injury (medical), celebration (festival), death of parent or child (compassionate), rest & recreation (annual) and weekends. Are these also handicaps? It seems not. So: A handicap is not a necessary condition for paid leave from work. Women are inherently different physically from men. True. The point is: What stems from it? Does this inherent difference exclude women from doing "men" jobs? Or grant to men a different set of leave and other entitlements? Activists would call such implications discriminatory. Is it even possible to discuss the issue rationally? Human conflicts can and do arise, and be driven by, emotions: Fear, greed, ambition, anger, jealousy, love, hate, joy, desperation, indignation etc. Making things worse are advocates of emotions as the primary driver of decisions and actions: "How do you feel about that? What would you like to do? Would doing that put you in a good place?" When emotions are accorded primacy, reason is helpless. Feelings must be recognised, for they are part of being human -- but not accorded primacy. Compromise, concession or creativity requires reason to be primary. Cheers. #conflict, #emotions #criticalthinking

Balancing career and motherhood 🤱 Working mothers should sense their belonging in the workplace. They may feel disconnected after returning from maternity leave or if there are no other parents in the workplace. This can create challenges in an environment where they feel out of place. To alleviate this feeling, employers and HR departments can establish a dedicated group and space for parents, working mothers, and caregivers. Women should base their decision to work on their own desires and needs, rather than worrying about the impact on their children. Motherhood brings unique strengths to the workplace, and embracing challenges, feeling confident in decisions, and knowing one's worth are essential for working mothers. Newspaper article Link 🖇️ https://lnkd.in/dJmAzN4E Cura Health Care Services #timesofindia #workingmoms #career #motherhood #workingmothers #homemakers #womenhealth #parenting #careerchange

Media agency Hatched has emerged as a finalist in the AFR BOSS Best Places to Work rankings - and one of the key reasons is its new parental leave policy designed to help its existing staff return to work. Approach: “We asked the parents what they needed and what they wanted. What does a best-in-class parental policy look like in the real world?” Policy: 12 weeks of paid leave, 6 coaching lessons, 3 paid “keeping in touch” days, paid leave for pregnancy loss, and $1,000 clothing allowance when employees return to work. Results: Since the launch in July 2023: - Has not lost a single woman between 30 and 45 years old - Engagement with the business has jumped from 60% to 78% - Belief that management cares about staff rose from 84% to 90% - The number of Hatched staff looking for a job elsewhere fell from 20% to 5% - Staff happiness rose from 70 % to 90% This is a great case study of an employer viewing parental leave as an investment! https://lnkd.in/g6YkEKBd

Returning to work after parental leave can be an emotional rollercoaster for many new mothers. I found myself feeling angry about the limited amount of time I could afford to take for parental leave. I was overwhelmed with getting up to speed with work. There was no transition plan to refer to. No handbook on parental leave procedures. And certainly, no conversation with my manager on future career aspirations. I know I am not alone in my experience. Vague policies coupled with the burden of figuring out how to navigate parental leave being left up to working mothers and their managers isn't a good look. My experience highlights the need for better support and policies for working mothers in the workforce. Let's end the ambiguity. One of the most basic solutions to this is a parental leave handbook. This handbook is a great first step for companies in establishing a guide to help employees and managers understand the parental leave process and provide tools to support the immediate and future needs of working mothers. Let's create a culture where announcing a pregnancy is seen as normal and working mothers feel supported throughout their parental transition. If you're an organization in a male dominated industry and you'd like to learn more, let's chat! #workingmoms #maternityleave #parentalleave #genderequity _________________ If you'd like to learn more about gender equity and where your organization is in the journey, take my 2-minute Gender Equity Assessment here: https://lnkd.in/gN-SmBkq

Congratulations to Hatched for not only securing a finalist spot in the AFR BOSS Best Places to Work rankings but also achieving an impressive feat: 💥Retaining every woman aged 30 to 45 since 2023 👏👏👏 Adding to their accolades: 🙌 The perception of management's support and care among employees has surged from 84% to an impressive 90% 🙌 Staff engagement levels have seen a substantial increase from 60% to a commendable 78% 🙌 Overall staff happiness has experienced a remarkable increase from 70% to an outstanding 90% What sparked this transformation in 2023? One pivotal change was the introduction of their new Parental Leave Policy, strategically crafted to facilitate the smooth return of existing staff to work. Their approach was refreshingly straightforward: “We asked the parents what they needed and what they wanted. What does a best-in-class parental policy look like in the real world?” Could it really be that simple?! YES, yes it could! If you're interested in gauging the pulse of your parental support and discovering straightforward steps to humanise your approach, don't hesitate to reach out. It would be my pleasure to assist you. In a world where the line between work and life is increasingly blurred, investing in the well-being of working parents isn't just wise – it's essential. The Parents Corner partners with businesses to humanise their parental leave support - helping to empower working parents and up-skill leaders on how to navigate the transitions to create inclusive cultures. https://lnkd.in/gTHZdSyw

FOR THEM AND YOU: PAID PARENTAL AND RETURN TO WORK INITIATIVE 💜 Over the last 3 years, we have been working towards creating a workplace that not only talks gender equity, but delivers.  Why? For our people, and the generation that follows; “FOR THEM AND YOU”.  ✔ We have delivered on closing our gender pay gap (currently under 1%), we have more representation in leadership than ever before (and improving) and have met our 40-40-20 gender target.  Now, and due to the success of the business (because of our people), we are rolling out the next phase; Paid Parental Leave and our Return-To-Work Initiative: 🐣  Paid Parental Leave: Up to 9 weeks full pay or 18 weeks part pay in parental leave and 12-month ongoing contribution to superannuation. 👨💻 👷♀️  Return-to-Work Initiative: Up to 6 months of part-time work with full-time pay to ease the transition back to work whether a 1st or 5th time parent.   #nextgeneration #leadwithaction #forthemandyou #engineeredbyi3

Not everyday that corporate citizens get to alter societal constructs for the better - paternal leave policy is one such area of stellar opportunity that checks so many boxes all at once - promoting women's participation in labour force, weeding out hiring bias against female candidates, furthering equitable distribution of care-giver responsibilities & the most valuable one of establishing strong paternal bonds for male employees. This low hanging fruit must be plucked! #labourforcepartcipation#equity#diversity#inclusion#caregiverresponsibility