A British Company, the Virgin group which has a generous family leave policy will soon expand its horizons in its US office. Their paternity leave can be as long as 12 months for new dads, and they are paid leaves. The Virgin Group has been applying their policy among their employees in London and Switzerland and they hope they can also apply their policies in the US soon. The company's founder Richard Branson was quoted saying, "If you take care of your employees they will take care of your business. That is a philosophy that has served us well for more than four decades, and is the foundation of everything we do at Virgin." What do you think about this guys? Here's a link to the article: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/virg...nity-paternity-leave-policy/story?id=31673628
I just heard read about this yesterday. Great thing for the employees, though this will obviously not become a more wide spread thing... but I really do love it when an employer looks after their employees. Some form of maternity and paternity leave is a must of course but I can see why many companies don't want to give more than what is required by law. (however most of them are pretty relaxed about taking extra unpaid maternity/paternity leave, which is alright with me)
Governments talk a lot about the decrease on births, but many of them forget that people need time and money to have kids. So I do feel that this is something great and believe me, more people will have kids under those circumstances.
I think that this can only be a good thing, especially for the employee. Virgin, and other large businesses like this can afford to look after their employees a lot more, they have the turnover to be able to offer them benefits such as this, and I think something needs to be put in place, maybe by the government to make this law. Obviously for the smaller businesses, that would be impossible to put into action but for companies such as this, it could work.
When I read the news I was amazed at how long the parental leave Virgin Group gives to its employees. I couldn't help but commend them for taking care of their employees that way. 12 months of paid leave is a big sacrifice for a company so I could just imagine how loyal their employees would be to them.
Good on Virgin. I also agree with Branson. If you take care of your employees, they'll take care of you. Treat them like slave labor and the results are going to be commiserate with that treatment. Though I'm a confirmed workaholic, as a husband and father, I do think maternity and paternity leave is essential.
I think having paternity leave for up to 12 months is a good way for father's to bond with their children, but it would be very bad news for the employer. I can't see this law ever passing, in the US at least.
Laws that would make it a mandatory 12 month paid leave can never pass, simply because it would absolutely DESTROY millions of small businesses. And some larger ones too. So yeah, never happening. Individual companies who can do this and choose to offer their employees such great benefits... thumbs up!
That is unbelievable to give someone that much time off, but it's great for people that are making families. I'm just afraid of the abuse of such a lengthy break from work.
What is really amazing is that in Sweden, new parents are given 480 days of paid maternity leave and 60 of those days are specifically for the new father. This is at full pay. I find that to be a fabulous idea and this is not just through elective companies but it is legally mandated. Can you imagine what that would be like if it were like that all over the world? This also applies when parents adopt a child. In contrast the United States pays new parents less than what they would earn if they were on unemployment. I find it disgraceful!
