Parental leave entitlements for new and expecting parents will increase from tomorrow-- 1 July
The Government will bump up paid parental leave as legislative changes take effect from tomorrow. It is timely that employers update policies and procedures so that staff are aware of their new entitlements.
More paid parental leave
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From July 1, the paid parental leave period will increase from 22 weeks to 26 weeks. Eligible expecting employees will be entitled to 26 weeks' paid parental leave to care for babies due or born from 1 July 2020. Primary carers such as adoptive parents are entitled to 26 week's paid parental leave for children under the age of six placed in their care from 1 July 2020. More paid parental leave will support working families with new borns and young children by reducing financial stress and increasing time for bonding and breastfeeding.
More 'keeping in touch days'
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'Keeping in touch days' allow employees to work limited hours for their employer, while receiving their paid parental leave entitlements from the Government. From 1 July 2020, keeping in touch days will increase from 52 to 64 hours. Employees on parental leave will be able to work up to 64 hours without losing their entitlement to paid parental leave. This change will help support workers stay in contact with their employer for longer while receiving paid parental leave. Employees can attend team days, training, and perform other work during keeping in touch days. The change to parental leave provisions will be welcomed by new and expecting Kiwi parents.
Employees are more likely to take 6 months' parental leave that is paid, giving employers greater certainty about the length of time to replace the role. Many Kiwi employers face the challenge of finding cover for staff on parental leave. Employers may find it easier to replace the employee for a period of 26 weeks than 22 weeks.
Research suggests fewer primary carers return to the workforce following a longer parental leave. However, employers can attract staff back to work through effective policies like flexible working arrangements. Offering flexible working arrangements and attractive return to work policies has proven successful for Vodafone. The digital services employer tops up parental leave payments to an employee's full salary for 22 weeks. Vodafone's phased return to work policy has proven popular with staff returning from parental leave. For their first six months after returning to work, staff are only required to work 30 hours per week but are paid full salary based on 40 hours per week. Since this policy has been in place, 97% of Vodafone employees have returned to work following a period of parental leave. While paid parental leave is fully tax-payer funded, employers should check how legislative changes affect additional entitlements under workplace policies.
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Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
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49.5% Yes
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48.6% No
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1.9% Other - I'll share below
Here's Thursday's thinker!
I am lighter than air, but a hundred people cannot lift me. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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Why make picking up reserved library books harder? What do you think? Challenge: Write the last stanza for the first poem attached below.
Once books are reserved in Auckland Libraries books, when they are available no longer go alphabetically by customer but instead go into a Holds pickup shelf number based presumably somehow on when each book needs to be picked up by.
I had two books reserved that arrived on two different days in the Blockhouse Bay Library and hence each book has a different shelf number. Hard to find unless you knew the shelf number in the notification email. Even if you knew the shelf number I found myself three books by the same author on the two shelf numbers.
More recently yesterday a book I reserved was on a different shelf number than was specified in my notification email (see image below).
Sadly it is clear from library staff that a numerical system for reserves is here to stay.
I suggest that so that all books for each person has the same shelf number, the shelf number becomes the last digit of a person's library card (0-9).
Within each shelf number a book is found under the day the reserve arrives in the library (01 to 31, hopefully the same date the email is sent).
Since a customer appears to have 10 days to pick up a book, ten days of the month would appear to be required at any time (for each digit 0-9).
Once there are 10 days used the next day's reserves could go back at the beginning of the shelf number after any remaining books not collected (hopefully none) are removed (along with the old day number and the new day number (01 to 31) inserted) after the last day available and future days' books remaining moved forward to make room.
Each day number (01-31) would appear once for each shelf number (0-9) before the first book on that day- perhaps cover an old withdrawn book with paper with each day number on the spine?
When a reserved book arrives in the library the last digit of the library card could be placed on a piece of paper in the book to be removed when it is put on the shelf, to be recycled the next day.
What do you think?
See the image below and page 3 below for a letter appearing in the Western Leader on 9 September:
www.neighbourly.co.nz...
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