Related Posts
Pro
Visual Storyteller
Have a great weekend everyone! :)
Client side brand manager in LA?
Additional Posts in Human Resources
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
I understand that expanding maternity and parental leave has a cost, but I would encourage leadership to view it as a retention, recruitment, and culture investment rather than simply a benefit expense.
We employ more than 600 people, which places us in a position to compete for talent against organizations that increasingly offer more family-friendly benefits. Three weeks of maternity leave is significantly below what many employees expect today, and it may impact our ability to attract and retain high-performing talent.
From a business perspective:
• Retention costs less than turnover. Replacing an employee can cost anywhere from 50% to 200% of their annual salary depending on the role. Providing additional paid leave may be far less expensive than losing experienced employees who feel forced to choose between their family and their career.
• Employee engagement and loyalty increase when employees feel supported during major life events. Employees often remember how their employer treated them during difficult moments more than any annual bonus or recognition program.
• A stronger parental leave program can improve our employer brand, making us more competitive in recruiting and reducing time-to-fill for critical positions.
• Offering paternity leave sends a message that caregiving is a family responsibility, not solely a mother's responsibility. This supports gender equity and workplace inclusion.
• For employees facing NICU stays or serious newborn health issues, the stress is extraordinary. Providing additional paid leave in those situations demonstrates compassion while allowing employees to focus on their family without the added pressure of financial hardship.
At the end of the day, we're not just talking about time away from work. We're talking about creating a workplace where employees feel valued, supported, and more likely to stay long-term. The return on investment is often seen through higher retention, stronger engagement, improved morale, and a reputation as an employer of choice.
If we want employees to give their best to this organization, we should consider how we support them during some of the most important and challenging moments of their lives. The question isn't whether we can afford to offer better parental leave. The question is whether we can afford the turnover, disengagement, and recruiting challenges that come from not offering it.
It's important to quantify any responses to leadership.
Demonstrate that employees are the strategic drivers of business outcomes and quantify the cost of the benefit by comparing it with the data behind retention, attrition and rehiring.
Do a survey of similar companies in industry or look for one use a compensation consultant
Rising Star
Convince them that your employees care. Show them benchmark data that shows that most companies in your industry provide these things. Show them instances of employees having to quit because they had issues with how short their maternity leave was (the reality is they get up to 12 weeks under the FMLA, but perhaps they couldn't afford to be unpaid for 9 weeks).
Trying to get them to care means getting them to see that not offering those benefits could be keeping great employees away and causing great employees to leave for companies that offer those benefits.
By the way, doesn't your company offer STD for the birthing mother? That provides financial benefits for six to eight weeks.
Rising Star
I would support that conversation. I think parental leave has a huge impact on retention, wellbeing, and how employees view their employer long term.