Productivity Commission response to paid parental leave

The Commission proposes the introduction of a taxpayer funded paid parental leave scheme that would:
- provide paid postnatal leave for a total of 18 weeks that can be shared by eligible parents, with an additional 2 weeks of paternity leave reserved for the father (or same sex partner).
- Provide the adult minimum wage (currently $543.78) for each week of leave for most eligible employees.

All employees with a reasonable degree of attachment to the labour force (average of 10 hours per week or more and continuous employment for 12 months prior to date of expected birth) would be eligible, including the self employed, contractors and casual employees.

Non eligible parents would be entitled to the equivalent of the baby bonus.

This is a huge step in the right direction. It will take Australia years to catch up with other OECD nations, but this is a welcome start.

The Federal Government will need to properly review the Productivity Commission's findings on businesses paying superannuation and funding paid parental leave upfront before being reimbursed. There are potental concerns that this may create further discrimination in terms of hiring women in general and hiring mothers who may decide to have more children.

For more information, go to: http://www.pc.gov.au/projects/inquiry/parentalsupport/draft

Group Interviews

Recently, one of our users asked me about how to approach a group interview. She was looking to re-enter the workplace and was very nervous, so needed a few tips and hints. I gave her some tips, and without knowing the outcome of the interview yet, she was really pleased with her interview performance and felt very confident.

This is what it is all about - developing the confidence again to handle interviews regardless of the outcome. An interview is about 2 things: how well suited your are to the role based on your experience, and whether you as a person would be suited to the culture of the organisation. You are who you are, and sometimes your personality may not suit the role you are going for.

These are the tips I provided:
- Ask for information on the group interview before it happens. What is the structure of it? What will you be required to talk about?
- Just be prepared. Stick to how your skills will benefit the job you are going for.
- If you can back up your skills with previous experience, be ready to do so – both paid and non-paid work!
- Do not talk about your family circumstances. It is no one’s business but yours.
- Gauge the interviewer. Get a sense of what he/she is like. Do they prefer short answers or do they want you to elaborate? React to this as the job interview is just as much about finding the right style of person who will fit the organisation as well as tapping into your core skills set.
- Make sure you look good! If you feel good, you will radiate confidence. Ensure your outfit is chosen at least 24 hours before!
- In a group situation, it can sometimes be intimidating for some people. You will need to speak up and promote yourself when the time is appropriate. Remember: if you don’t, no one else will!
- Shake off being nervous – it is another experience and if you don’t succeed, review what you need to do next time and move on to the next challenge.

Should you work as a permanent part time employee or a casual employee?

Every week, CareerMums receives questions from our users on a range of topics including career advice, career options, employment law, resumes and more! Below is a question we received recently, with our response:

Question: I'll be returning to work shortly after a period of time on maternity leave. I'll be joining a new employer and have been offered the choice of accepting either a part-time or casual employee. I'd like to know if you can provide me with advice on how to accurately calculate the financial comparision between both options, hence aiding in my decision on which to accept.

Answer: It is hard for me to assist without knowing all the information. Ask the HR department to do the calculations, and get them to specify your entitlements as they will differ e.g. treatment of leave days. In addition, please refer to the following web page for more information that may help: http://www.careermums.com.au/resources_useful_services.php#workplaceresources

GetUp! Paid Parental Leave Campaign

CareerMums is proudly partnering with GetUp! for the Paid Parental Leave Campaign. Australia is one of only two developed countries without paid maternity leave. The government is looking into the issue, but unless there's overwhelming community support they won't set six to twelve months as a minimum standard - a standard supported by research on health and development, social welfare and economics.

Join over a dozen prominent organisations in this campaign by adding your name to the petition. Visit the following web address to show your support:
http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/AllTheOtherKidsAreDoingIt?id=381

Know your facts when it comes to badly behaved employers

The workforce is changing. Every day, I see examples of responsible employers making a difference to the workplace for pregnant employees and parents returning to work. The skills shortage has certainly provided impetus for employers to embrace attraction and retention strategies to keep good staff.

However, I still receive phone calls and emails from women who are being treated poorly by their employer. Elizabeth Broderick, Sex Discrimination Commissioner, has just completed a 'listening tour' around the country. One of many observations she made was that the experiences of pregnant women, and those who had recently given birth and were seeking to return to their jobs, was of particular concern. The Commissioner heard that women are vulnerable to bullying when they return after having a child, and that many are not aware of their rights.

If you are not aware of your rights, visit the following website for advice - http://www.humanrights.gov.au/complaints_information/infosheet_employment.html

In addition, be aware of the employment policies your employer offers. Ask for the parental leave policy and the flexible working arrangements policy - if they have them. If they don't, your question may prompt them to write some policies and proecedures. Know your entitlements and the laws that protect your in the workplace. Knowledge is powerful.

I will continue to provide you with more information on this very important topic.

Free job listings for employers in regional towns

Spread the word....

CareerMums is offering businesses in regional towns throughout Australia the opportunity to post their flexible roles on www.careermums.com.au for free until the end of the year.

We attract parents from all over Australia but our jobs are typically located in capital cities. According to our surveys, our regional users are desperate to see more flexible work opportunities in their towns and so are we.

We would like to give employers in regional Australia the opportunity to tap into a normally untapped group of talented, experienced and mature job seekers who require flexible work arrangements. Employers can contact www.careermums.com.au and take advantage of this great offer.

For more information, visit the following web page:
http://www.careermums.com.au/content/emp_regional_employers_promo.php

CareerMums ‘Pulse’ survey highlights continued challenges of child care, flexibility, recruitment and workplace policies

CareerMums recently conducted another ‘pulse’ survey to tap into challenges faced by parents returning to work. Overall, there were 420 respondents and the key themes included:

1. Work from home arrangements for some of the week was the most popular flexible work arrangement;
2. A lack of support by employers in attracting their staff back to the workplace after parental leave;
3. The cost of child care and the failure so far of the 50% child care rebate to entice mothers back to work;
4. The lack of assistance from recruitment firms in connecting return to work parents to flexible roles.

Kate Sykes, Founder of www.careermums.com.au said “There are some quite straightforward means to overcoming these persistent challenges. Employers and the Government need to make some simple and long overdue changes to practices and policies which will only improve productivity. There is a hidden workforce that is ready to work. Let’s start using home grown talent before we become too reliant on importing it.”

72% of respondents found that finding a flexible job was one of the biggest barriers in returning to work. The types of work flexibility our respondents were looking for included: work from home arrangements some of the week (54%), part time reduced days (51%), part time school hours (41%), part time reduced hours (30%), stop working during school holidays (26%), and job share (23%).

‘Stay in Touch’ programs are critical in retaining employees on parental leave. Unfortunately, only 15% of respondents said that their employer offered support in planning a return to work strategy.

The cost of child care continues to be one of the biggest barriers to returning to work according to 40% of respondents. In addition, the 50 per cent child care rebate has made no difference to returning to work for 67% of respondents. Only 2% of respondents stated that it has made huge difference. This indicates that Government must revisit the way it is addressing the fundamental problems with Australian child care including the over-privatisation of child care centres, and the ability to monitor and control child care costs.

Finally, recruiters are in a great position to persuade their clients to implement more flexible work practices and attract great candidates. However, survey results indicate that this is not happening. Over 72% of respondents who approached a recruitment firm stated that recruiters were unhelpful in assisting with their flexibility requirements.

www.careermums.com.au currently has close to 11,000 registered job seekers looking for flexible and part time work. In addition, CareerMums provides consulting services to businesses to attract, nurture and retain working parents via their Working Parents Toolkit and The Flexible Work Proposal Toolkit - http://www.careermums.com.au/content/emp_consulting_services.php