Clearly in DIGIDAY's Worklife: Would paid parental leave from day one boost gender diversity in the workplace?

6 June 2022 | 2 min read | Careers
Clearly Team

In an article published today in Worklife by DIGIDAY – which has 1.3 million monthly readers – Clearly’s managing director, Paul MacKenzie-Cummins was asked about whether women are being disadvantaged in the workplace because employers only provide parental leave for employees who meet a minimum tenure.

He said:

“Everyone, irrespective of whether they are pregnant or not, should never be held back from pursuing their career goals.

“I can see that many women will switch off from new opportunities once they become pregnant for fear of losing any maternity benefits, but that really shouldn’t be the case.

“What if their current role isn’t right for them? Perhaps the career progression that was promised when they applied for their role was little more than good recruitment marketing?

“Maybe the company itself is facing difficulties and now is the right time to move on?

“By having time-served conditions in place, these women may feel effectively handcuffed to their present employer.

“Yet, if another employer was less restrictive and more prepared to provide full maternity benefits regardless of tenure of service, then they win and so does the woman herself.”

There has and will always be a talent crisis in this country. It is not a trend of the pandemic or upcoming recession, it as relevant during times of economic buoyancy and as it is of downturns.

Employers need to widen their horizons when it comes to the people they hire.

They need to think more about what they need a candidate to do over the long term and less about being concerned whether an employee needs to take time away from the business to raise a family in the short term.

See the full article on the Worklife website: https://www.worklife.news/dei/how-offering-paid-parental-leave-from-day-one-is-boosting-gender-equality-in-the-workplace/