Paid Parental Leave Increases Positive for Business and Families

The extention of the Paid Parental Leave scheme is not only good for parents, but can also help businesses with recruitment and retention says Minister of Economic Development, Jim Anderton today (Monday).

Jim Anderton as Deputy PM was instrumental in promoting the original scheme in the first Clark - Anderton coalition government and is pleased to see it extended today.

"The extension of paid parental leave to 14 weeks and to employees with six months services (was previously only 12 or more months) is good news for new families. It is very important that parents have time to spend with their children in the first few months in a baby's life and this extension makes that easier to do.

"It is also good for businesses according to recent national and international surveys. Businesses which provide paid parental leave and good work life balance policies have been found to have fewer retention and recruitment problems, and that saves them money.

"Workplaces with good work life balance policies find they can reduce absenteeism and the use of sick leave, improve productivity and have a positive corporate image. That's all good for business, and many businesses know it," said Mr Anderton

Eighty nine per cent of employers surveyed by the Department of Labour who had been involved in the paid parental leave scheme said it had neutral, positive or very positive impacts on their business.

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