HR faces parental leave pressure

Netflix has announced it will offer unlimited paid maternity and paternity leave in the first year after a child is born or adopted. In the wake of this announcement, Microsoft and Adobe followed suit announcing unlimited parental leave, joining companies like Virgin Group and Zynga who have all announced similar policies.

In the wake of this growing trend, HR is under more pressure than ever before to secure fair and equal parental leave for employees in SMEs and non-tech companies.

Speaking to Executive Grapevine, Adrian Lewis Commercial Director for Activ Absence, knows all too well the issues that arise when it comes to organising planned leave. He said: “Most HR departments we come across are still managing staff absence using spread sheets which aren’t even adequate for coping with easy staff holiday administration, let alone complex patterns of leave.

“Add shared parental leave policies and a continuing change in administration rules into the mix and many of the teams we speak to are struggling to cope. However, they are expected to manage all these new demands with tightening budget restrictions.”