Under the new policy,��which will be effective on 1 December 2021,���鶹ԭ����has increased its��entitlement��to offer��employees��22��weeks of��paid parental leave for primary carers and��12��weeks paid parental leave for secondary carers.����

The new policy includes:��

• No minimum��tenure/service��requirement��to access parental leave for���鶹ԭ����employees��who have passed probation��

• Twenty-two weeks paid parental leave��for primary carers��and twelve weeks leave for secondary carers��(minimum two weeks at a time).��
• Flexibility on��the timing of��leave,��with the option to take paid leave within two years of welcoming a child, instead of one year��
• Inclusion of special parental leave��where if stillbirth occurs and/or miscarriage after twenty weeks, employees are eligible for full entitlement. If under twenty weeks, employees are eligible for up to three��weeks leave.��
• Eight weeks transition��back to fulltime work with flexibility on how many days employees work dependant on agreement with manager. Employees must work minimum two days for four weeks and then increase thereafter.��

“We are a people-focused��business��and our��people��are at the heart of our success.��We��are committed to driving an inclusive and flexible culture at �鶹ԭ�� and��to��do that��effectively, being proactive��about��reviewing and updating��our policies is important.��We made changes��a few years ago to��ensure superannuation was contributed to��over��the��unpaid period��and that our parental leave policy��reflected��all families, including��those with��same-sex��parents.��And this year��we��did another review to ensure��our policies��supported and celebrated��our parents as they embark on their wonderful and��life changing��event,” says��Debbie Rigger,��Head of Human Resources��at �鶹ԭ�� Australia and New Zealand.����

“How you approach your parental leave policy reflects how you feel about your employees and their families.��We listened��to what our��people��wanted,��sought external counsel��and thought hard about how we could best support��our families��through��all the highs and lows that come with��these��moments that matter.��One important��change for us, was to ensure for��any pregnancies where a miscarriage or stillbirth occurs after 20 weeks, �鶹ԭ�� employees are entitled to the full parental leave period to take the time they need for themselves before returning to the workforce. We want to help our staff navigate major transitions in their work life, while understanding that professional and personal lives overlap.”��

Sameer Aimandi, Solution Architect at �鶹ԭ�� Australia says, “Life throws curveballs and opportunities at you all the time.��My wife, who also works at �鶹ԭ��,��had the��chance��to apply��for a promotion while she was on maternity leave. When she was successful, I jumped into the role of primary carer for��my daughter a couple of months earlier than my wife and I had planned.����

“The way �鶹ԭ�� supported��me and my wife��throughout our combined parental leave periods��taught me the importance of having the ability,��and��feeling professionally supported,��to��make decisions that are right for you and your family.��The increased flexibility��and support offered by���鶹ԭ��’s updated��parental leave policy��is another step in ensuring that parents don’t feel like they need to sacrifice professionally to��benefit personally.”��

Under the new parental leave policy, �鶹ԭ����has��also��partnered with��purpose-led��social enterprise,��, to deliver each new �鶹ԭ�� parent in Australia and New Zealand, a bespoke newborn gift set with all profits going to vulnerable children, providing family homes, education, healthcare and support to overcome trauma. ��

You can��learn more about���鶹ԭ��’s approach to diversity and inclusion,��best workplace awards, early talent certifications��and more at the����of sap.com.��You can also read more about Sameer’s parental leave story��.��

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While the COVID 19 pandemic demonstrated that many organisations great and small could in fact accelerate digital adoption for their customers and employees alike, successfully tackling some of the technological aspects of the future work, the human element still often considered ancillary is equally critical.

What are the Human Factors that organisations need to consider?

Well-being and belonging and ethics were ranked at the top of , with 80 percent and 79 percent of organisations, respectively, considering them fundamental for their success. Recent suggests that these factors are valued even more today post-pandemic; With well-being and belonging falling under the ‘purpose’ umbrella, companies must try to embed meaning into every aspect of work, every day.

And ethics under the ‘perspective’ umbrella, embracing an orientation that focuses on creating future, as well as current value, suggesting companies must pay careful attention to facilitating standards of behaviour and interaction to generate social cohesion, build shared trust and be more cognisant of choices on organisational norms and culture.

Recent research also suggests that remote work in some capacity will remain as an irrevocable consequence of the pandemic, having some employees work outside the office will require reinventing processes and policies reflecting the increased autonomy and flexibility, changes include leveraging small, independent teams, changes to performance management and learning strategies and associated investments and even investments in physical office space as leases expire.

Prior to the pandemic, identified five main types of actions that companies will need to take to build the workforce of the future: retrain, redeploy, hire, contract, and release.

Retrain – Raise the skill levels of employees by teaching them new or more advanced skills.

Redeploy – Shift parts of the workforce by redefining work tasks or redesigning processes.

Hire – Acquire individuals or teams with the requisite skills, increasing the workforce.

Contract – Leverage external workers, such as contractors, freelancers, or temporary workers.

Release– Remove skills not needed by freezing new hiring, waiting for normal attrition and retirement, or, in some cases, laying off workers.

Clearly, building successful workforces of the future will require Leadership and Human Resources to adapt, including a change in mindset and talent strategies to orchestrate the changes. But even with a change in mindset and recognition of the human factors that will shape success in the future:

How do organisations formulate and execute these strategies?

This is the intersection with Technology, business leaders should be considering human capital and technology together not separately. Human experience solutions that allow employees to engage, learn, and connect easily, provide continuous feedback supporting measurement of employee sentiment; And collect and aggregate both qualitative and quantitative data from the many multiple sources both within and external to the organisation and present it as metrics that support actionable insights are crucial.

Organisations of the future must link both the People and Finance perspectives in all mission-critical decisions, operations, and planning. ‘’ outlines how �鶹ԭ�� solutions can support your organisation to better adapt to the new ways of working. For more Future of Work perspectives please on 24th March.

This article originally published on .

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