Well it’s January 2011 and the most recent change to the Industrial Relations system is a big one – Paid Parental Leave has been introduced across Australia. For parents across the country this is of course fantastic news, it means that for births and adoptions occurring on or after 1 January 2011, the primary caregiver will receive 18 weeks at the federal minimum wage, paid for by the Government (provided they meet a few key criteria). But for businesses, especially small businesses, the introduction of this scheme does create a new challenge – how to manage the short term increase in Maternity and Parental leave vacancies. I say short term because, over time, things will even back out again, but there is no doubt many parents have, knowing this scheme was being introduced, held off their plans for children until this year. Speaking from experience, I know we already have clients who are preparing for the ‘spike’ in maternity and parental leave replacements they will need to coordinate in the next 2 years. Dealing with maternity and parental leave staff replacements is not in any way new for business, and in essence the challenge hasn’t changed. But what will change is the volume of these some businesses need to deal with, and in some cases the length of time these replacements will need to be coordinated for. Here are some of my key tips for managing parental leave replacements:
1) Understand your responsibilities and obligations
- Although the paid parental leave scheme allows for 18 weeks paid leave, all employees who are primary caregivers are still entitled to a total of 12 months leave, the remainder being unpaid.
- Employees are entitled to take the 18 weeks at ANY time during the first year after birth or adoption, but it must be taken in one block.
- The payments can be split so as one parent may take part, followed by the other.
- As the employer you may be required to act as ‘paymaster’, after being reimbursed by the Government (this is voluntary until 1 July 2011, but in many cases will be compulsory after this date).
2) Encourage open communication with your employees
The sooner you are aware of the upcoming leave required, the sooner you can start preparing for it. By having a good working relationship with your staff, which includes open and honest communication channels, you are likely to have the information you need to be as prepared as you can be.
3) Recruit for the right replacement
At the conclusion of the maternity or parental leave period, your employee is entitled to return to their role, as it was prior to them taking leave. If due to restructure the position no longer exists, they must be offered a suitable alternative role (conditions apply to this). So when recruiting for their replacement, don’t offer or promise what you can’t deliver. Advertise the role as a maternity leave replacement, be honest with applicants through the interview process and keep the successful incumbent informed of any developments on the employees’ plans on returning to work.
4) Consider your existing team and the structure
For many employers the prospect of re training a replacement in a role which they will only hold for less than 12 months is daunting and stressful. If you are concerned about the role and responsibilities being held by a new staff member, then consider your existing team, and whether you can restructure to give them more responsibilities. These maternity and parental leave periods are often a great time to give other staff opportunity to learn new skills and step up into new roles. They already know your customers, products, services and processes, so the learning curve for them in a new role is minimised. Consider giving an existing staff member the opportunity to try a new challenge, and ‘back fill’ their role with a replacement for the leave period.
