Leading professional services firm, Deloitte Australia, has taken out the number one spot in the published by HBF’s Direct Advice For Dads.
This is the second year in a row that Deloitte has topped the list, following a review of its parental leave policies in March 2019, when the firm lifted the bar on parental leave with the introduction of a comprehensive new policy that leads the way in creating a shared, flexible and family-friendly solution for its people in raising their children. Since the introduction of the new parental leave policy in 2019, Deloitte has seen a 20% increase in the utilisation of the policy by its male workforce, with 40% of Deloitte dads now accessing the policy.
The policy is inclusive of all types of families including birth, adoptive, surrogate, foster and same-sex parents. Deloitte removed maternity, paternity, primary or secondary carer labels (it’s simply called ‘parental leave’), offering all new parents employed at the firm:
- 18 weeks paid leave, including superannuation
- The option to take leave over the first 36 months after the arrival of a child, in three flexible ways, including on a part-time weekly basis
- Continuing superannuation contributions while taking unpaid parental leave
- The option to take parental leave at the same time as their partner
In addition, Deloitte offers comprehensive transition support for those commencing leave and returning to work which includes three individual and tailored coaching sessions through its external Partner, Parents at Work. Of those recently surveyed, 92% of Deloitte parents reported an increase in work life satisfaction as a result of the coaching.
Deloitte CEO, , said the firm was committed to gender equality and providing equal access to parental leave for all types of families played an important part in achieving this.
“I’m extremely proud of our parental leave policy and the impact it’s making, not just in supporting all Deloitte parents, but also as a conversation starter to challenge the long-held gender stereotypes that still exist in Australian society and the workplace, and to drive greater equality for everyone,” he said.
“It’s fantastic to see the increase in the amount of families who feel empowered to take parental leave to care for and support their families at such an important time in their lives.”
, ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Lead Partner, Inclusion, Diversity & Wellbeing at Deloitte, said: “Inclusion, Diversity and Wellbeing are central to our culture at Deloitte and we’re committed to creating a safe, respectful and inclusive environment, where everyone has equal opportunity to grow, develop and succeed. We know that one powerful and effective way we can do this is by supporting our people with family caring responsibilities, regardless of their gender.
“Being a great place to work for families of all shapes and sizes, including birth, adoptive, surrogate, foster and same-sex parents is a key focus for us at Deloitte. We are proud of the commitment we have made to ensuring shared care is part of our DNA, and since its introduction, we’ve seen an increase in the utilisation of our parental leave policy by our male workforce, from 20% to 40%. This is a wonderful example of the positive societal impact parental leave policies can have on shared caring responsibilities and gender equality.”
HBF’s Direct Advice For Dads has published the 20 Best Australian Workplaces for New Dads List for the third year running to encourage more companies to offer parental leave policies for dads. Working with research consultancy CoreData, the study analysed the largest 500 Australian companies by revenue to identify the workplaces that are leading the way with dad-friendly policies including parental leave, flexible work and other benefits.
To qualify for consideration in the Direct Advice For Dads List, companies had to offer a minimum of two weeks paid secondary carer’s leave, 12 weeks paid primary carer’s leave, and flexible work practices to accommodate dads participating more fully in childcare responsibilities. Importantly, primary carer’s leave had to be made available for a minimum of 12 months after the birth, allowing dads to use it should their partners return to work.
Deloitte was also recently awarded Employer of Choice (>1000 Employees) and Best Workplace Flexibility Program at the Australian HR Awards. Deloitte also received an excellence award for its Diversity & Inclusion Program.
