1
GUIDANCE NOTE: ATTRACTING AND RETAINING TALENT THROUGH INCLUSIVE FAMILY-FRIENDLY POLICIES
THE ISSUE
Investing in family-friendly policies benefits both companies
and families, as these policies ensure workers with care
responsibilities are supported and valued. Family-friendly
policies allow parents to combine unpaid care work with paid
work, which results in healthier children, increased workforce
productivity, and the ability for companies to achieve
sustainable growth and contribute to gender equality.
1
Despite these apparent benefits, approximately 830 million
women globally lack access to adequate maternity protection,
2
and only 41 per cent of new mothers around the world
receive maternity benefits.
3
A study by the International Labour Organization (ILO) of
185 countries and territories found that only 34 per cent of
countries and territories fully meet the requirements of ILO
Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No. 183) on key
aspects.
4
This includes providing at least 14 weeks of leave
at a rate of at least two-thirds of previous earnings paid by
social insurance or public funds.
5
In addition to a lack of adequate maternity-leave provisions,
few companies provide flexible work arrangements and
support (for example, compressed work weeks, work from
home strategies and adequate support for breastfeeding
mothers in the workplace) that help returning employees
re-integrate into the workforce. In fact, only 39 per cent of
businesses surveyed in a global study by the United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF) were found to oer support for
breastfeeding mothers, usually in the form of paid breaks.
6
ATTRACTING AND RETAINING
TALENT THROUGH INCLUSIVE
FAMILY-FRIENDLY POLICIES
This guidance note forms part of a toolkit to help
companies implement the Women’s Empowerment
Principles (WEPs). It shows that investing in family-
friendly policies, such as parental, maternity and
paternity leave, make business sense and benefit both
employers and employees. It specifically aims to
support WEPs signatories in prioritizing, establishing
and implementing family-friendly policies to ensure
that everyone is treated fairly at work (Principle 2).
Companies are oered concrete recommendations
on how to implement these policies and support
parents in the workplace, marketplace and community.
Box. 1 WEPs Tool Kit
Guidance Note | Principle 2
2
Corporate cultures, that mimic societal norms in which women
are expected to bear the sole responsibility of care duties,
impact the general use of these policies and often result in
gender discrepancies in parental leave uptake. For example,
after the 2004 California paid family leave law came into
eect, evidence indicated that the percentage of men taking
time o after a child’s birth rose only modestly, with the
average period of parental leave taken by men rising by a few
days compared to the average rise of five weeks by women.
7
Men who utilize paternity leave policies tend to be viewed as
less committed employees.
8
This stigmatization can deter
men from taking advantage of existing policies.
9
Families today do not take a single form. Diversity in family
structures and relationships exists across regions and
changes over time.
10
The evolving understanding of “family”
does not always fit the confines of a nuclear, binary, biparental
family with biological children. Leave policies are inclusive
when they reflect demographic and societal changes and
take into account the circumstances of single parents,
same-sex parents, parents who adopt or conceive via
surrogacy, and families where the primary caregiver is male,
among others. Companies that pay strong attention to
intersectionality acknowledge that all individuals from
diverse backgrounds with intersecting identities and abilities
stand to benefit from leave provisions, supports, and overall
health and safety measures implemented by the employer.
FAMILY LEAVE
Mothers tend to experience disadvantages in hiring,
perceived abilities, labour market interruptions and
their overall daily job experience compared to
non-mothers.
22
These disadvantages culminate in a
wage penalty known as the “Motherhood Pay Gap”
which refers to the unequal pay between mothers
and non-mothers.
23
By implementing family-friendly
policies that encourage the equal uptake of childcare
between parents and support women’s re-entry into
the workforce upon returning from maternity and/or
parental leave, companies can begin to eliminate
barriers to equal pay and lessen the penalties
mothers in workplace often face.
24
Box. 2 Motherhood penalty
• Maternity leave is related to the birth of a child and
applies to the birth mother. The ILO Maternity
Protection Convention, 2000 (No. 183) mandates a
standard of a minimum 14-week leave period, while its
Recommendation No. 191 calls for a duration of at least
18 weeks.
11
A gradual shift towards maternity leave
periods that meet or exceed the ILO standard has been
observed, and no country has reduced its duration of
maternity leave since 1994.
12
The ILO Convention No. 183
also calls for mothers to have the right to adequate cash
benefits paid by compulsory social insurance or public
funds.
13
It further calls for protection from work deemed
potentially hazardous or harmful for pregnant and
nursing mothers and their unborn or newborn child.
14
• Paternity leave applies to fathers and occurs around
the time of the birth or adoption of a child. A recent
UNICEF survey of 307 companies in 14 countries and
territories revealed that only 48 per cent of the
surveyed businesses have a policy on paternity leave
and, more often than not, paternity leave amounts to
only a few days.
15
Discrepancies exist in the duration
of leave provided, and while some companies provide
52 weeks of leave for fathers, the average duration
among surveyed companies is 3.2 weeks, declining to as
little as two days.
16
In many instances, same-sex parents
can take paternity leave provided that the other parent
is the spouse, civil partner or partner of the mother/
primary carer, and they have the main responsibility for
the upbringing of the child.
17
3
GUIDANCE NOTE: ATTRACTING AND RETAINING TALENT THROUGH INCLUSIVE FAMILY-FRIENDLY POLICIES
• Parental leave is available to either or both parents to
allow them to care for their infant or young child, usually
after maternity or paternity leave expires.
18
In many
countries, the compensation oered through parental
leave is often lower compared to the compensation
oered through maternity or paternity leave.
19
Although
parental leave is often oered as a shared entitlement, it
is mainly taken by women.
20
This trend can weaken
women’s footing in the labour market and exacerbate
gender inequalities both in the workplace and in the
division of labour at home.
21
• Adoption leave can be covered in either of the policies
mentioned previously or may be defined independently
in a separate policy. It is important to ensure adoptive
parents have access to the same protection system
oered to birth parents, especially regarding leave,
benefits and employment protection.
• Surrogacy leave is for parents who conceive through
surrogacy. It is important to ensure that parents who
conceive through surrogacy have access to the same
protection system oered to birth parents, especially
regarding leave, benefits and employment protection.
THE BUSINESS CASE
Implementing family-friendly policies has strong business
value as it increases employee retention, reduces
absenteeism, and lowers overall recruitment costs.
25
Family-friendly policies enable working parents, especially
mothers, to advance in their careers and employees with
access to flexible work arrangements tend to be more
committed and engaged, leading to innovation and
productivity.
26
The adoption of adequate family-friendly
policies is beneficial for families and businesses as well
as the broader society.
MATCHING THE VALUES
OF THE FUTURE WORKFORCE
Organizations that develop comprehensive paid leave
provisions are best placed to adapt to the changing economy,
sustain business growth and innovation, and maintain
employee satisfaction. By 2025, it is expected that 75 per cent
of the world’s workforce will be made up of millennials.
27
Millennials bring with them a refreshed understanding of
modern families and value parental leave more than previous
generations. In a global generational study, some 83 per cent
of millennial respondents in the U.S. stated that they would
be more likely to join a company oering flexibility and paid
parental leave.
28
Organizations that do not adapt to the desires
of this new workforce risk losing out on young and diverse
talent and may struggle with employee loyalty and retention.
BENEFITING FROM
NEW OR STRENGTHENED SKILLS
During leave, parents develop transferable skills that are
valuable, but not always recognized, in the workplace setting.
29
These can include conflict management, multi-tasking,
time management, and financial responsibility, among others.
The skills developed through parenthood are easily applicable
to workplace environments, and companies that retain parents
in the workforce benefit from these new or enhanced skills.
RETAINING WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE
Businesses compete for talent. Oering better work-life
balance and family-friendly policies can enhance
competitiveness and attract talent. Studies show that when
men take paternity leave, women are more likely to remain
in full-time employment, the wage gap is smaller, and more
women occupy leadership and board positions.
30
Paid parental leave is valuable for companies, as it reinforces
market position in a modern, sustainable way and sets a
precedent for attracting and retaining current and future talent.
4
Depending on the seniority of the employee, it can cost an
employer up to 400 per cent of the employee’s annual
salary to replace them.
31
The provision of parental leave and
family-friendly policies increases employee loyalty and
engagement, especially among women, and increases the
likelihood that employees will return to their pre-birth
employer.
32
As such, the costs associated with employee
turnover, including search, recruitment, loss of productivity,
and training, can be avoided by implementing family-friendly
parental leave policies and workplace flexibility.
33
Companies
like Accenture and Google have reported a significant decrease
in employment attrition rates among female employees
as a result of extending the length of paid leave available for
women.
34
Similarly, when Aetna expanded maternity leave,
the percentage of women returning to work rose from 77 to 91.
35
When companies implement flexibility, they are strategically
placed to adapt to economic shocks and changes to working
structures such as those that have arisen from coping with
COVID-19. These changes, if made while ensuring workers
are properly equipped with the right skills and technology,
and given the right environment to continue working
externally, could be one of the pandemic’s more positive
legacies, and could attract employees looking to ensure
long-term stability.
WHAT CAN COMPANIES DO?
PROVIDE COVERAGE
FOR ALL WORKERS AND ALL FAMILY TYPES
When establishing a comprehensive and integrated leave
policy, employers are advised to consider a wide range of
leave options to ensure full employee coverage with, at least,
the minimum of guaranteed paid maternity protection set
out by the ILO Maternity Protection Convention No. 183
(see Box 3).
36
Over the last few decades, the occurrence of non-standard
employment, including temporary contracts, self-employment,
and part-time work, among others, has grown significantly.
42
Among EU member States, women, young people, foreign-
born workers, and those with low educational attainment
have been more likely to have temporary contracts.
43
ILO Convention No. 183 states that women are guaranteed the right to return to the same position or an equivalent
position paid at the same rate at the end of their maternity leave.
37
Furthermore, cash benefits paid during maternity
leave should be at least two thirds of the woman’s previous earnings.
38
The guiding principle is that the level of benefits
should ensure “that the woman can maintain herself and her child in proper conditions of health and with a suitable
standard of living.”
39
Recommendation No. 191 calls for the full replacement of the woman’s previous earnings.
40
A recommended good practice is to grant pay increases similar to any increases paid to other employees during the
time the parental leave is taken.
41
Box. 3 ILO Convention No. 183 on Maternity Protection
5
GUIDANCE NOTE: ATTRACTING AND RETAINING TALENT THROUGH INCLUSIVE FAMILY-FRIENDLY POLICIES
In countries where eligibility for leave policies is dependent
on strict conditions, based on narrow definitions of the
employment relationship, it is likely that there will be
growing inequalities between citizens with and without
access to paid leave.
44
Companies can broaden leave eligibility to part-time,
short-term, contract, seasonal, temporary workers. Companies,
such as Microsoft, have developed policies that recognize
various contract types and therefore oer paid parental
leave to sub-contractors.
45
Not all families follow the biparental, nuclear family model.
There is an evolving understanding of “family” and, as such,
companies and employers can adopt policies that include all
family models and use gender transformative language when
referring to care responsibilities. By removing gender from
caregiving roles, the responsibilities of caregiving become
inclusive and foster greater equality among parents.
For example, parents can be equal caregivers as opposed to
prescribed primary and secondary caregivers which tend
to reinforce gender stereotypes. By striving for an inclusive,
non-discriminatory workplace culture that eliminates gender
stereotypes and recognizes all family models, companies
ensure that no one is left behind.
OFFER ADEQUATE
INCOME REPLACEMENT DURING LEAVE
Companies support women in the workplace when they
ensure that a mother’s employment and financial security is
guaranteed and they uphold the right for women to return
to the same job with the same pay earned prior to taking
maternity leave.
46
Adequate income replacement is one of the strongest
predictors of uptake of either paternity leave or parental
leave by fathers.
47
As parental leave decisions are often
based on economic security, it is often the case that the
lowest income-earning parent will take the longest leave to
minimize the overall financial loss of the family. Through the
implementation of paid leave policies for both mothers and
fathers, organizations play an integral role in deconstructing
rigid, gender-based roles within society.
Eorts to incentivize men to take parental leave can include
making entitlements individual, non-transferable or
compulsory, and ensure that fathers receive adequate
income-related compensation during leave.
48
High uptake
rates of parental leave are strongly related to the level of
compensation for lost earnings while on leave and the
availability of job protection.
49
Research suggests that
workers prefer better-paid leave for everyone during shorter
periods, followed by family-friendly working arrangements
and good quality, aordable childcare services responsive
to the needs of both working parents and children, rather than
extended leave periods with little or no compensation.
50
There are companies that have made the shift towards fully
paid leave policies, including the French luxury brand group
Kering which, from January 2020, has provided a minimum
of 14 weeks of maternity, paternity, adoption, or partner leave
on full pay.
51
Similarly, global beverage company Diageo
introduced a global policy oering women employees in all
markets a minimum of 26 weeks of fully paid maternity leave,
and four weeks paternity leave of full pay in all markets.
52
Indeed, many of Diageo’s businesses are moving to 26 weeks
of fully paid paternity leave in countries across Asia, Australia,
Europe, North America, and South America.
53
PROMOTE EQUAL SHARING
OF CARE RESPONSIBILITIES
Earmarking specific time for each parent to take time o after
the arrival of a child promotes equal sharing of care and
gender equality. Fathers can be oered an individual
entitlement for leave on a use-it-or-lose it basis.
54
In Germany,
for example, fathers’ uptake of parental leave rose from 3.3
per cent to 29.3 per cent within six years after the introduction
of a two-month leave entitlement for fathers.
55
In Norway,
parental leave uptake by fathers increased from 3 per cent
in 1993 to 70 per cent in 2000 after the introduction of
individual entitlement.
56
While these policies were
implemented by the Government, private sector employers
can proactively support the implementation of these policies
and even go beyond the legal requirements. Policies that
specifically oer benefits to fathers, or make them compulsory,
remove the need for fathers to negotiate with employers for
leave. Granting parents the same duration of leave neutralizes
women’s care penalty and recognizes men’s care rights
and responsibilities.
6
ENSURE THAT CORPORATE CULTURE
VALUES FAMILY-FRIENDLY POLICIES
Even with adequate family-friendly policies in place,
the uptake of policies can remain low, especially among men.
Many men do not take leave due to fears of unspoken
disapproval and a perceived lack of dedication to the
workplace.
57
This results in a greater risk of work penalty
(being demoted or downsized).
58
By fostering a corporate
culture that values family responsibilities and the equal uptake
of leave between parents companies encourage employees
to utilize family-friendly policies. This can include encouraging
parental leave uptake among fathers, encouraging men who
have taken leave to act as ambassadors, and a commitment
from senior company ocials guaranteeing company
commitment to dismantling gender stereotypes and corporate
cultures that view those who undertake family responsibilities
as less committed employees.
DEVELOP
AWARENESS-RAISING CAMPAIGNS
The private sector can develop national level awareness
raising campaigns to encourage fathers to use the paternity
leave oered by employers. For example, since the launch
of Dove Men+Care in 2010, the brand has launched several
campaigns including #DearFutureDads globally, #TaketheTime
in Canada, and #PaternityLeavePledge in the U.S using
authentic portrayals of men and dads in communication
materials to create a cultural shift.
59
Further, Dove Men+Care
and Promundo have joined together to co-convene a Paternity
Leave Global Task Force along with Bank of America, Deloitte,
Facebook, Twitter, and Women Deliver, and UNICEF as a
technical advisor, to identify and promote solutions that will
result in improved access to and uptake of paternity leave
for all men.
60
The Task Force brings progressive companies,
experts, public and non-profit organisations to identify,
promote, accelerate sustainable solutions that will help
improve access to and uptake of paternity leave for all men.
61
The Task Force focuses on three key areas: corporate policy,
workplace culture, and social norms and expectations.
62
Companies that openly value family friendly policies uplift
men in their roles as fathers and contribute towards
normalizing the equal sharing of care responsibilities.
ESTABLISH
CLEAR COMMUNICATION PLANS
Parents on leave are still essential members of their
organization. Some parents will want to continue to have
some level of engagement with their employer while away
to smooth the eventual transition back, while other parents
will want minimal communication while on leave. Companies
can help set clear guidelines and expectations about what will
be discussed, plus the frequency and mode of communication,
while employees are on leave.
63
When managers acknowledge
that employees are valued as integral members of the team
both while on leave and when welcomed back to the
workplace, parents are further encouraged to take advantage
of family-friendly leave policies.
ESTABLISH HEALTH AND SAFETY MEASURES
FOR NEW AND EXPECTANT MOTHERS
Companies support new and expectant mothers in a variety
of ways. Apart from preventing their exposure to health and
safety hazards, they can, as outlined above, give them paid
maternity leave, adequate maternal and child health care,
breastfeeding breaks and protection against discrimination.
64
Facilitating ongoing health and safety risk assessment to
ensure that workplace health and safety standards match
employee’s needs is integral to supporting parents in the
workplace.
65
This can include addressing concerns of whether
required tasks (such as heavy lifting or exposure to chemicals)
would pose a risk to the parent or the child. Critically evaluating
c
oncerns through open dialogue between employer and
employee with immediate actions to address workplace
health and safety risks is a key element in providing a safe
work environment for parents.
66
Temporary work modifications to accommodate pregnant
employees can include physical adaptations allowing
employees to stop carrying out strenuous physical tasks,
implementing flexible work arrangements to account for
doctor appointments and periodic resting, and permitting
environmental/individual modifications to allow uniform
alterations, relaxed food and drink policies, and a relaxation
of no-sitting policies.
67
7
GUIDANCE NOTE: ATTRACTING AND RETAINING TALENT THROUGH INCLUSIVE FAMILY-FRIENDLY POLICIES
According to ILO Maternity Protection Recommendation,
2000 (No. 191), if risks cannot be eliminated and
accommodations cannot be made, employers should oer
paid leave in accordance with national laws, regulations
or practice.
68
In Quebec, for example, employees are able to
submit a Preventive Withdrawal and Reassignment
Certificate (written by a doctor) confirming that the workplace
is hazardous, thus qualifying them to withdraw temporarily
from the workforce with income replacement benefits.
69
Providing paid breaks or reducing daily working hours for
lactating mothers is essential, however companies can oer
more comprehensive support through increased family-
friendly policy development or modification. Supporting
breastfeeding mothers includes providing a clean and
private environment for mothers to breastfeed, flexible
work arrangements and hours to better accommodate
breastfeeding mothers.
70
It also includes creating a workplace
culture that values breastfeeding and that abides by
non-discrimination and anti-sexual harassment regulations
to ensure that women returning to work feel supported.
71
OFFER ROBUST
PRE-LEAVE AND RE-ENTRY PROGRAMMES
Our society and economy evolve at such a rapid rate that a
period away from work can become an alienating experience
for a new parent. For full-time working parents, the transition
from meeting-to-meeting working days to diaper-to-diaper
child-caring days can be dicult. Employers can oer
pre-leave programmes that allow employees to reduce their
workload gradually, allowing for a smoother transition prior to
the child’s arrival. For example, employers can oer employees
the chance to begin their leave a few weeks before the child’s
arrival, or give them an opportunity to telework, or work
part-time. Not only would this allow employees to adapt to
spending more time away from work, it also enables them
to prepare for the child’s arrival, while preparing colleagues
for their departure.
The transition back from full-time childcare to full-time work
is equally dicult, and re-entry programmes can help to ease
the anxiety that many new parents experience when leaving
their child in care. Re-entry programmes also allow parents
to come back to work at an agreed pace or rate.
72
This may
include a staggered return with remote working for a couple
of days per week or part-time working for the first couple
of weeks and using flexible time arrangements. Re-entry
programmes can oer skills-building and training available
to employees to ensure that employees are up to date
on new work developments (such as developments in the
fast-paced tech industry) that may have arisen while on leave,
and provide re-integration support services such as a buddy
system (partnering a returning parent with a parent who has
successfully returned to work after parental leave) to assist
parents in re-adjusting to the workforce and re-integrating
into a workflow with colleagues.
73
8
ENDNOTES
1. United Nations Children’s Fund, Redesigning the workplace to be family-friendly:
What governments and businesses can do (2019). Available at www.unicef.org/
early-childhood-development/family-friendly-policies (accessed on 23 July 2020).
2. Laura Addati, Naomi Cassirer, and Katherine Gilchrist, Maternity and paternity at
work, Law and Practice Across the World. (Geneva, ILO, 2014). Available at www.
ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publication
/wcms_242617.pdf (accessed on 23 July 2020).
3. UN Women, “As Economic Uncertainties Push-back On Civil Society, and Labour
Informality Rise, UN’s Largest Meeting on Gender Equality Begins” Press release,
March 2019. Available at https://eca.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2019/03/
press-release-csw63 (accessed on 23 July 2020).
4. Addati and others, Maternity and paternity at work.
5. Ibid.
6. Companies were surveyed in selected countries including Argentina; Botswana;
China and its Special Administrative Region Hong Kong; Finland; India; Jordan;
Kazakhstan; Madagascar; Malaysia; New Zealand; South Africa; Sri Lanka; Viet Nam.
Subajini Jayasekaran and Alice Faudot MiguCet, Family-Friendly Policies A Global
Survey of Business Policy, (Geneva, United Nations Children’s Fund, 2020).
Available at www.unicef.org/media/65011/file/UNICEF%20Family-friendly-
global-survey-business-policy-2020.pdf (accessed on 23 July 2020).
7. Nathaniel Popper, “Paternity Leave Has Long-Lasting Benefits. So Why Don’t More
American Men Take It?” New York Times, 17 April 2020. Available at www.nytimes
.com/2020/04/17/parenting/paternity-leave.html (accessed on 23 July 2020).
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. UN Women Progress of the World’s Women. (New York, UN Women, 2019).
Available at www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/
library/publications/2019/progress-of-the-worlds-women-2019-2020-en.pdf?la=
en&vs=3512 (accessed 23 July 2020).
11. Addati and others, Maternity and paternity at work.
12. Ibid.
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid.
15. Jayasekaran and Faudot Miguet, Family-Friendly Policies.
16. Ibid.
17. Hollie Ryan and Camille Arnold, “Supporting LGBT Sta: Family Friendly Leave
For Same Sex Couples” (2018). Available at www.personneltoday.com/hr/suppor
ting-lgbt-sta-family-friendly-leave-for-same-sex-couples/ (accessed on 23
July 2020).
18. Addati and others, Maternity and paternity at work.
19. ParlAmericas. Policy Guide: Parental Leave (Ottawa, International Secretariat of
ParlAmericas, 2020). Available at http://parlamericas.org/uploads/documents/
Parental_Leave_ENG.pdf (accessed on 23 July 2020).
20. Addati and others, Maternity and paternity at work.
21. Ibid.
22. ILO, Global Wage Report 2018/19: What Lies Behind Gender Pay Gaps (Geneva,
2018). Available at www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm
/---publ/documents/publication/wcms_650553.pdf (accessed on 23 July 2020).
23. Ibid.
24. Ibid.
25. UNICEF, Redesigning the workplace to be family-friendly.
26. United States, Coalition of San Francisco and California Organizations for Flexible
Workplaces (n.d.). The Business Case for the Family Friendly Workplace Ordinance.
San Francisco. Available at: https://sfgov.org/dosw/business-case-family-friendly
-workplace-ordinance
27. Deloitte, Big Demands and High Expectations: The Deloitte Millennial Survey (2014).
Available at: www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/About
-Deloitte/gx-dttl-2014-millennial-survey-report.pdf (accessed on 23 July 2020).
28. Ernst & Young, Global Generations: A Global Study on Work-Life Challenges Across
Generations: Detailed findings (n.d.). Available at www.ey.com/Publication/vwLU
Assets/Global_generations_study/$FILE/EY-global-generations-a-global-study
-on-work-life-challenges-across-generations.pdf (accessed on 23 July 2020).
29. Parent Smart Employers, Norm shift and ROI = Return on inclusion in Sustainable
Work Places and Societies (no date). Available at www.parentsmartemployers.com
/the-concept/why/ (accessed on 23 July 2020).
30. Eric Arthrell, Carolyn Lawrence, Jodi Baker Calamai, and Alex Morris, The Design
of Everyday Men: A New Design For Gender Equality Progress (Deloitte, 2019).
Available at www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/insights/us/articles/ca1671_design-of
-everyday-men/DI_The-design-of-everyday-men.pdf (accessed on 23 July 2020).
31. Alvernia University, The Hidden Cost of Employee Turnover (Reading Pennsylvania,
October 2016). Available at https://online.alvernia.edu/articles/cost-employee-
turnover/ (accessed on 23 July 2020).
32. Sharon Florentine, Lack of Parental Leave Drive Employee Turnover (CIO Analysis,
October 2014). Available at www.cio.com/article/2840574/lack-of-parental-leave
-drives-employee-turnover.html (accessed on 23 July 2020).
33. Ibid.
34. New America, Economic Impact (n.d.) Available at www.newamerica.org/better
-life-lab/reports/paid-family-leave-how-much-time-enough/economic-impact/
(accessed on 23 July 2020).
35. Ibid.
36. Laura Addati, Umberto Cattaneo, Valeria Esquivel, and Isabel Valarino, Care Work
and Care Jobs for the Future of Decent Work (Geneva: ILO, 2018). Available at
www.ilo.org/global/publications/books/WCMS_633135/lang--en/index.htm
(accessed on 23 July 2020).
37. Ibid.
38. Ibid.
39. Ibid.
40. ILO, R191 - Maternity Protection Recommendation, 2000 (No. 191, n.d.). Available
at www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_INSTR
UMENT_ID:312529 (accessed on 23 July 2020).
41. Women’s Empowerment Principles, “Closing Gender Pay Gaps to Achieve Gender
Equality at Work” (WE EMPOWER G7, 2020). Available at: www.weps.org/resource
/closing-gender-pay-gaps-achieve-gender-equality-work
42. ILO, Non-Standard Employment Around the World (Geneva, 2016). Available at
www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents
/publication/wcms_534326.pdf (accessed on 23 July 2020).
43. European Institute for Gender Equality, Eligibility for Parental Leave in EU Member
States (2020). Available at https://eige.europa.eu/publications/eligibility-parental
-leave-eu-member-states?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_
campaign=eiges_newsletter_taking_stock_10_years_of_eige&utm_term=2020
-03-02 (accessed on 23 July 2020).
44. Ibid.
45. Kristen Lotze, 10 Tech Companies with Generous Parental Leave Benefits
(TechRepublic, 2019). Available at www.techrepublic.com/article/10-tech-compa
nies-with-generous-parental-leave-benefits/ (accessed on 23 July 2020).
46. Addati and others, Maternity and paternity at work.
47. Janna van Belle, Paternity and Parental Leave Policies Across the European Union
(Rand Corporation, 2016). Available at www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/
RR1666.html (accessed on 23 July 2020).
48. Addati and others, Maternity and paternity at work.
49. Ibid.
9
GUIDANCE NOTE: ATTRACTING AND RETAINING TALENT THROUGH INCLUSIVE FAMILY-FRIENDLY POLICIES
50. Ibid.
51. Kering, “Kering to Provide 14 Weeks of Paid Baby Leave to All Parents of a New
Child” (Paris, 2019) Available at www.kering.com/en/news/kering-to-provide-
14-weeks-of-paid-baby-leave-to-all-parents-of-a-new-child (accessed on 23
July 2020).
52. Diageo, “Diageo Starts Global Roll-out of Ambitious Maternity and Paternity
Leave Policy” (2019). Available at www.diageo.com/en/news-and-media/features
/diageo-starts-global-roll-out-of-ambitious-maternity-and-paternity-leave-policy/
(accessed on 23 July 2020).
53. Ibid.
54. Van Belle, Paternity and parental leave policies.
55. Ibid.
56. Ibid.
57. Jason Hall, Why Men Don’t Take Paternity Leave (2013). Available at www.forbes.
com/sites/learnvest/2013/06/14/why-men-dont-take-paternity-leave/#42bef56
e1bd7 (accessed on 23 July 2020).
58. Laura A Rudman and Kris Mescher,“Penalizing Men Who Request a Family Leave:
Is Flexibility Stigma a Femininity Stigma?” Journal of Social Issues, vol. 69, No. 2.
(2013) pp. 322–340. Available at https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111
/josi.12017 (accessed on 23 July 2020).
59. Unilever, “Why championing paternity leave empowers men, women and business”
(2019). Available at: https://www.unilever.com/news/news-and-features/Feature
-article/2019/why-championing-paternity-leave-empowers-men-women-and
-business.html (accessed 24 August 2020).
60. Dove, “Introducing the Paternity Leave Corporate Task Force” (no date). Available
at: https://www.dove.com/uk/men-care/lets-champion-paternity-leave-together
.html#:~:text=Dove%20Men%2BCare%20joined%20forces,Paternity%20Leave%20
Corporate%20Task%20Force.&text=The%20Task%20Force%20will%20take,more
%20men%20take%20paternity%20leave (accessed on 24 August 2020).
61. Ibid.
62. Ibid.
63. Engineers Canada and Geoscientists Canada, Managing Transitions: Before, During
and After Leave (n.d.). Available at https://engineerscanada.ca/sites/default/files
/Managing-Transitions-en.pdf (accessed on 23 July 2020).
64. Addati and others, Maternity and paternity at work.
65. Avra Davido, Laura Hambley, April Dyrda, Julie Choi, Colleen Lucas, and Rebecca
Teebay-Webb, Making it Work: How to Eectively Manage Maternity Leave Career
Transitions: An Employer’s Guide (2016). Available at https://ceric.ca/resource/
making-work-eectively-manage-maternity-leave-career-transitions-employers
-guide/ (accessed on 23 July 2020).
66. Ibid.
67. Ibid.
68. ILO, R191 - Maternity Protection Recommendation, 2000
69. Yosie Saint-Cyr, “Pregnant Employee Has Right To Withdraw From Unsafe Work
No Matter Employment Status or Workplace”, Slaw (2014). Available at www.slaw.
ca /2014/05/08/supreme-court-of-canada-agrees-pregnant-women-have-the
-right-to-refuse-unsafe-work-environments/ (accessed on 23 July 2020).
70. Jayasekaran and Faudot Miguet, Family-Friendly Policies.
71. Ibid.
72. Davido et al, How to Eectively Manage Maternity Leave Career Transitions.
73. Ibid.
10
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
This guidance note was prepared by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
(UN Women) under the WE EMPOWER – G7 programme funded by the European Union and jointly implemented with the
International Labour Organization. The brief was led by Stephanie Dei and Nancy Mitchell with substantive contributions
from Anna Fälth, Stephenie Foster, Magali Gay-Berthomieu, Carla Kraft, Diana Rusu, and Maria Tirmizi of UN Women;
Laura Addati of the International Labour Organization (ILO); Gary Barker of Promundo; Maya Roy and Anjum Sultana of YWCA
Canada, and Vicky Smallman of the Canadian Labour Congress.
DISCLAIMER:
This guidance note was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of
the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
Edit: Proseworks
Graphic / Editorial Design: oliver.gantner@unwomen.org
Promoting Economic Empowerment of Women at Work through Responsible Business Conduct in G7 Countries
(WE EMPOWER—G7 Programme) is funded by the European Union (EU) and jointly implemented with the International
Labour Organization (ILO). The Programme (2018-2020) will convene stakeholder dialogues in the EU, Canada, Japan and
the US to exchange knowledge, experiences, good practices and lessons learned in the context of the changing world of
work. Under the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), WE EMPOWER is working to equip companies to go beyond
making commitments on gender equality and women’s empowerment, to strengthening their implementation, data
collection and reporting on the WEPs.
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and Caribbean (LAC) countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Uruguay, in partnership with the EU
countries. Win-Win Programme promotes women’s economic empowerment of women, recognising them as beneficiaries
and partners of growth and development, increasing the commitment of private sector-companies, entrepreneurs and
employers’ organizations to gender equality.
Promoting Economic Empowerment of Women at Work in Asia (WeEmpower—Asia Programme) is a collaborative
eort between UN Women and the European Union (EU) over a three year period (2019–2021) in China, India, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam to enable more women to lead, participate and have access to enhanced
business opportunities and leadership within the private sector to advance sustainable and inclusive growth.
Funded by: In support of:
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Principle 7
Measure and publicly report on progress
to achieve gender equality.
Principle 1
Establish high-level corporate leadership
for gender equality.
Principle 6
Promote equality through community initiatives
and advocacy.
Principle 2
Treat all women and men fairly at work– respect and
support human rights and nondiscrimination.
Principle 5
Implement enterprise development, supply chain
and marketing practices that empower women.
Principle 4
Promote education, training and professional
development for women.
Principle 3
Ensure the health, safety and well-being of
all women and men workers.