Shortsighted criticism of the cost and admin involved in maternity leave do not take account of the wider benefits to society, says John Oxley
There may be some businesses that bristle at the costs and admin of maternity leave. While the state essentially picks up the tab for statutory leave, this doesn’t stretch to the second-order costs or the lost value that comes from having an employee off work for several months. This is, however, a shortsighted approach for those companies and the broader economy, and it is one we should be doing our best to disavow.
Businesses do not exist in a vacuum; there is an essential interplay with the broader society. Supporting families to flourish is part of that. In terms of pure financial interests, maintaining the population is essential for future growth and the overall health of our economic interests, as well as the companies in that ecosystem. When we talk of things like corporate social responsibility, it should not exclude the most basic of social building blocks: the........