APA has today commented on new proposals on shared parental leave, set out in Nick Clegg's speech to Demos this morning.
It has given a cautious welcome to the proposals and will wait to see the detail of how employers will be affected. APA believes the greatest challenge will come from extending the existing entitlement to paternity leave in a way that doesn't increase uncertainty for employers; something it believes should be resisted at all cost.
It believes that the principle of moving towards a more equal sharing of the burden of childcare between mothers and fathers is good. There is no doubt that women are placed at a disadvantage in the labour market by employers' concerns about the likelihood they will take time off at some stage to start a family. If men and women have similar entitlements to leave following the birth of a child, this should go a long way to relieving employers of these concerns.
“This can only reduce the likelihood that women will be discriminated against when they apply for jobs, for promotion or in finally bringing pay-equality to the labour market. But the devil is in the detail and we need to see the full proposal before we give our total support.”
APA welcomes the Government's commitment to extend the right to flexible working to all employees believing the opportunity to work flexibly increases employee engagement as well as helping employees achieve a better work life balance. But flexibility cannot be total. Employers need to be able to plan ahead with some confidence that they know when individual employees will be available. So the proposal to allow fathers and mothers to take parental leave in blocks, for example, rather than all at once, may be a step too far and needs to be looked at carefully.
It has given a cautious welcome to the proposals and will wait to see the detail of how employers will be affected. APA believes the greatest challenge will come from extending the existing entitlement to paternity leave in a way that doesn't increase uncertainty for employers; something it believes should be resisted at all cost.
It believes that the principle of moving towards a more equal sharing of the burden of childcare between mothers and fathers is good. There is no doubt that women are placed at a disadvantage in the labour market by employers' concerns about the likelihood they will take time off at some stage to start a family. If men and women have similar entitlements to leave following the birth of a child, this should go a long way to relieving employers of these concerns.
“This can only reduce the likelihood that women will be discriminated against when they apply for jobs, for promotion or in finally bringing pay-equality to the labour market. But the devil is in the detail and we need to see the full proposal before we give our total support.”
APA welcomes the Government's commitment to extend the right to flexible working to all employees believing the opportunity to work flexibly increases employee engagement as well as helping employees achieve a better work life balance. But flexibility cannot be total. Employers need to be able to plan ahead with some confidence that they know when individual employees will be available. So the proposal to allow fathers and mothers to take parental leave in blocks, for example, rather than all at once, may be a step too far and needs to be looked at carefully.
Gareth, APA.
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