DOL and EEO Trust research has found that New Zealand employers believe that family-friendly policies increase workplace attachment and staff retention.[1] Small- and medium-sized employers appreciate this the most, though they have difficulty covering PPL-takers’ work.[2] Similarly, employers with “a work-life policy or strategy have lower staff turnover, and … those providing extra paid parental leave report higher rates of return from parental leave.”[3] Additionally, longer PPL would prolong the productivity pay-off from training temporary staff, and may mean that some mothers will take PPL instead of resigning. This would increase employee retention, but also increase the problem of finding temporary replacement staff. However, the current economic recession will ease employers’ search for temporary replacements, because high unemployment levels lead to increased employee demand in the labour market.
[1] EEO Trust 2008; Department of Labour (DOL), 2008. Work-Life Balance and Flexibility in New Zealand: A snapshot of Employee and Employer Attitudes and Experiences in 2008. www.dol.govt.nz/worklife.
[2] DOL 2008, p. 53-6.
[3] EEO Trust 2008, p. 3.