Maternity and paternity leave is a hot-button issue in America, especially after Netflix announced that it would implement unlimited leave for employees the first year of a newborn’s life. The change will impact approximately 2,000 employees.
Even Adobe and Microsoft are rethinking their options as work-life balance becomes more important to employees of all ages.
These announcements make us wonder: Is there a place for similar shifts in the retail world? Granted, executives like Blake Mycoskie, who is the Founder and CEO of TOMS, has taken a stand for extended paternity leave and shared details about how the brand altered its policies. But what’s the next step?
Below, the RTP team shares their thoughts on these announcements, and if retail is the next industry to be shaken up.
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Debbie Hauss, Editor-in-Chief: I think this is an important topic for every company moving forward. It’s much bigger than this single issue – it’s about overall equality for men and women in the workplace, from leave issues to salaries, sexual harassment and more. Smart C-level executives will not hesitate to implement strategies that promote equality across the board.
Alicia Fiorletta, Senior Editor: In my opinion, the new reality is, family leave and family care are becoming top-of-mind for all workers…not just expectant mothers. According to recent research from Yahoo, 76% of men say work-life balance issues have become more important to them. With books like Thrive and Lean In capturing the attention of men and women alike, employees are realizing that our current mindset of how we see our jobs overall is broken. If corporations, even retailers, put some extra thought into parental packages and maternity/paternity leave, I think it will be a big step and show employees that the company is investing in the long-term tenure of these employees. Although I could see why it may be challenging to extend unlimited leave to store associates, I think the news of companies like Netflix changing their policies can lead to the start of many productive and valuable conversations.
Rob Fee, Managing Editor: I think it’s great that many companies are taking a look at their family leave policy.It would be even better if the government did the same. Speaking from my own experience as a father of a young child, those first few months were tough. The company I worked for at the time had a family leave policy, but it wasn’t great. As a result, I burned through vacation time and showed up for work on more than one occasion with just a few hours of sleep. I don’t fault the company because it wasn’t obligated to go above and beyond to help out my family. It’s nice to see that some companies are willing to do this, but it would be even better if this was standard policy across the board.
Kim Zimmermann, Senior Managing Editor: I applaud the effort, but think it is hard to put into practice in a retail environment. During my time in retail I had several supervisors and managers who were pregnant and never came back after having their children. The common reason given was the retailers could not provide them with a family-friendly schedule. With the presidential election now in full swing, perhaps there will be more discussion about maternity and paternity leave. We’re the only industrialized nation that doesn’t mandate time off for new parents.
Glenn Taylor, Associate Editor: Now that a select few companies are implementing the policy, I’m sure more companies who have internally discussed the idea will follow in the near future. The varying roles that both men and women can take on across the working environment indicate that one side likely would need leave as much as the other depending on circumstance. Like anything else employee-related in retail, I think the major topic will become how far this goes with certain full-time workers, and if part time workers would ever be considered for the benefit.
Brian Anderson, Associate Editor: When it comes to workplace equality, the discussion of maternity/paternity leave will be discussed thoroughly. As more companies get on board, other benefits could potentially be discussed to enhance employee satisfaction at the workplace. It is also a great benefit to employees; it could lead to increased productivity since employees are treated well.
What are your thoughts on Netflix and other big companies rethinking their maternity and paternity leave policies? Do you think change will happen within retail organizations? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
