Will working families be better off under the new government initiative?
In a time where 41% of working mothers are recommencing employment before their child is 4-months-old, the development of family friendly workplace policies are an important supplement to the paid maternity leave scheme that the Government recently announced will be introduced in 2011.
Established in her career as a newsreader for Network Ten, Tracey Spicer felt it was the right time to have children but felt some at her workplace disagreed. Tracey first sensed this when she had to stop working early due to pregnancy complications with her son Taj who was born prematurely, and again when she unexpectedly fell pregnant with her second child Grace and required further leave. ?I rushed back after having Grace only to be told four weeks later that I was out of a job because I had taken too much leave,? Tracey says.
Unfortunately such discrimination isn?t uncommon. A 2006 ABS study found that 25% of mothers had experienced some form of it, including receiving inappropriate or negative comments and missing out on training, development opportunities and promotions.
Although companies are gradually realising the value of family friendly policies in retaining skilled and loyal staff and improving productivity, parenthood is still seen within many workplaces as an imposition on business as usual, instead of a natural progression in the life of employees.
Minister for Employment & Workplace Relations Julia Gillard says the government?s new Fresh Ideas for Work and Family initiative is about creating family friendly policies in all workplaces. ?The Australian Government is committed to removing barriers to work participation for parents and assisting to manage paid work and caring responsibilities,? says Gillard.
They plan to do this in a number of ways while taking into account the specific needs of individual businesses. ?There is no single workplace policy which meets the needs of all parents seeking to balance work and family responsibilities. Employers of choice for parents tend to be those that implement a range of family-friendly initiatives,? says Gillard.
In Tracey?s case formal leave entitlements for her circumstances would have meant less disruption. Crisis arrangements for all scenarios including miscarriage, morning sickness, pregnancy complications, and child and partner illness, that function in the same way as standard sick leave, would keep workplaces running as smoothly as possible. ?The Fair Work Act 2009 accommodates parents who wish to spend an extended period of time at home by doubling the amount of unpaid parental leave to two years,? Gillard says.
Flexiblity in the workplace can also promote work-life balance. When Amy, 25, became pregnant she was not offered any alternatives to a nine to five day by the firm where she worked as a legal secretary. ?They offered to keep my job open for one year but returning part-time wasn?t a possibility. I wasn?t willing to work full-time so I had to leave. As a child I was always in childcare, my Mum couldn?t come to any of my school events and I was unable to do activities after school. I don?t want that for my son,? Amy says.
The government says the program will give parents the right to request flexible working arrangements until their children reach school age. Arrangements encompass part-time work, working from home, job sharing, flexible start and finish times and compressed working weeks where parents work full time hours across fewer days. Any of these solutions would be ideal for parents like Amy, who don?t want to miss out on school plays, sports days and jazz ballet classes.
Another important focus in the Government?s program is childcare assistance. Laura, 26, says working full-time makes childcare a necessity. ?I returned to work as a purchasing assistant when my son was six-months-old. I?d prefer to be working part-time but I can?t afford to do that. During the week I only see Marco for two hours at night. And my family daycare centre?s license has just been suspended so I?m currently relying on my parents for childcare while I?m on a wait list for a new family daycare.?
The government says it will provide childcare assistance by supplying detailed information about vacancies, accreditation and fees so parents like Laura have options. ?This will help parents to make informed decisions regarding childcare including the financial benefits of returning to or increasing their hours of work,? says Gillard.
Other ideas such as increasing workplace based childcare for children under school age so parents can avoid multiple drop-offs during the morning rush and spend more daily quality time with their kids are also being considered. Having access to this on-site childcare for older children in school when they are sick, on school holidays or in case of emergencies would further relieve parental stress.
But it isn?t just childcare centres that need to be on-site. Other facilities need to be prioritised as well.
Hanna, 24, returned to work eight weeks after the birth of her daughter because of one reason. ?I got offered a job at a cr?che where I could take Mia to work with me,? she says. ?Being able to earn money without leaving her in childcare was perfect. But going back to work didn?t help with breastfeeding.?
This is where having lactation rooms and scheduled breaks to express milk or breastfeed at work could help with extending breastfeeding to the World Health Organisation?s standards that recommend nursing for a minimum six month period.
But most importantly all these policies must be integrated into workplaces through information and training. Support measures such as mentoring and counselling are essential for parents who are suffering greater difficulties, like Mandy, 24. ?I returned to my retail job when my daughter was only five weeks old as my partner was unable to find work. I found it very hard to cope and was diagnosed with postnatal depression. My performance at work was criticised by my manager who had no understanding of what I was going through.?
Government demographer Graeme Hugo concluded that women were frequently taking on numerous roles with serious health implications. Additionally, the retail sector is renowned for its lack of flexibility beyond part-time and casual work. ?From 2010, experts will be available in each state and territory office of Fair Work Australia, to provide support for small businesses seeking to implement family-friendly arrangements,? says Gillard. This includes teaching managers how to draw up rosters based on school terms and for unforeseen situations where employees require time off for personal reasons.
But at this stage the onus is on employers to voluntarily institute policies and there is no third party to enforce them. The government?s stance on this is one of minimal supervision. ?The Government has noted concerns raised about protections for working families. The government does not believe it is desirable to mandate the nature of family-friendly policies,? Gillard says.
This is where the program could be deemed ineffective, despite the government?s good intentions. Parents needs change as their children grow and they must be continually supported, not just in the first few sleep deprived months when they are responsible for babies but as their children begin school and as they raise subsequent children. Having an employment tribunal to review employers decisions when employee requests are refused, would greatly enhance the program?s success.
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