Has anyone really experienced a family-friendly workplace?
- Thread starter beachgurl
- Start date
Aw man! I know I should be happy for you Mamaof3 but as someone who didn't score well enough in the 'public servant entrance test' (do they still do those?) I have ever since been sad for the cushy life I could have had.
I'm hoping next year to get a job after 8 years out of the workforce due to kids. A lot of the kinder mums I speak to are in the same boat, so we will all be trying to get that same job that is part time, school hours, family friendly, not too hard, not too dull etc etc next year.
Very frustrating... sorry to vent
I'm hoping next year to get a job after 8 years out of the workforce due to kids. A lot of the kinder mums I speak to are in the same boat, so we will all be trying to get that same job that is part time, school hours, family friendly, not too hard, not too dull etc etc next year.
Very frustrating... sorry to vent
Don't know the answer to this one, as my current industry employ is not that well represented by females (automotive mechanical and tyres).Do businesses have these requirements as well, or only govt? i think that would disadvantage women in the workplace... i'd be scared of employing someone of child bearing age!!
But I'll say this; if girls were contemplating a career in XYZ or ABC industries, and they knew that XYZ offered the maternity leave perks and ABC didn't, they would probably gravitate towards XYZ for a chosen career.
Alternatively; an employer who can operate a business without having to employ females, but who is obligated to supply the above maternity conditions in that industry, is not going to willingly employ a female; no matter how good she is on the resume.
Now; that may seem like discrimination, and no employer would ever openly admit it because he/she would get sued and/or fined, but it's the reality of running a business and staying afloat.
As an employee; these perks are terrific - good on the Unions for winning those concessions, yeah?
Countdown to Ev jumping in with a "get over it stop whinging" post in 10...9...8...7...
I'm hoping next year to get a job after 8 years out of the workforce due to kids. A lot of the kinder mums I speak to are in the same boat, so we will all be trying to get that same job that is part time, school hours, family friendly, not too hard, not too dull etc etc next year.
Very frustrating... sorry to vent
Government's your best bet if you want flexibility and good conditions.
in my experience, "school hours" jobs are frustrating for everyone.. worker/ employer and customers. the day just isnt long enough to get everything done, and if you are part time, it will be a whole week before you can finish.
maybe some of the mums can form an afterschool babysitting roster, so they can work a full day without having to use after school care.
Edmond I did broking for a few years while I took a break from this industry. Then my daughter got a bit bigger and working from home got tough, so decided to work away from home and broking for someone else would've only pretty much paid for daycare fees. Handed in my license a few months ago. Hmm if I knew then what I knew now. Nevermind.
Wow working for the govt sounds very cushy!
Wow working for the govt sounds very cushy!
Too cushy for some.
Left government service as a middle manager in 1998 after all the BS got too much. Such bikering over things like:
Office is smaller than Joe's.
Not wanting to change jobs because of the loss of driving a govvy car home overnight.
Endless reorganisations, rebranding etc with timewasting meetings and then dealing with people having to apply for their jobs.
So many "training" courses.
The mind boggles in the amount of wasted time in the public service.
In the private sector you sit where you are told, park where you can, get told that you made redundant by email and to be out of the building by CoB and any training is done on your time at your cost.
I call it the 'Wheel Reinvention Committee'.
as "fantastic" as that sounds i think it is completely ridiculous. you have been paid 54 weeks pay and had a position held for you since 2007. not only are they now out 54 weeks but there will be the natural inefficiencies with not having someone fulltime on that role in the meantime as well as having to pay higher contract rates for the people who have worked in that role over the last 5 years
people talk about a bloated and inefficient public sector, the above example perfectly illustrates it
not having a go at you personally, i just think it is stupidity of the highest order. how much money is wasted each and every year on policies like this?
100 internets to you, sanj.
Let me assure you this is not common. I suspect it's still 12 months maternity leave with anything over that requiring special consideration - I doubt it's an automatic entitlement.
I know of one other person only that took 18 months off (thought I'd try it but got knocked back) and that's it.
Deskilling would be a big issue if you stayed away for a few years in my workplace too, and you would be seen very unfavourably by colleagues.
We have one girl that has constantly abused the family friendly policy. Sometimes she APPEARS to come and go as she pleases, but she's very unpopular because of it (we've all got kids and could abuse it as well but we definately don't).
I'm also surprised that Mo3 qualified for the paid leave without returning to work. I thought to qualify you had to do 12 months prior to each paid leave.
Perhaps I'm out of touch... I didn't realise paid maternity leave had been going for the last 5 - 6 years (longer if there was the compulsory 12 month leave in between)
.Perhaps I'm out of touch... I didn't realise paid maternity leave had been going for the last 5 - 6 years (longer if there was the compulsory 12 month leave in between)
paid maternity leave used to be fairly standard, I think but gradually got rolled back. when I started at the job where I took maternity leave (1995 or so), they offered paid leave. but then they stopped it for new employees. I think there were anumber of businesses in the same boat
It was paid in SA as well many years ago, but in very few places, like the universities, our once federally funded repatriation hospital (they also paid their nurses more), and a few private organizations.
It definately wasn't across the board or common amongst public servants.
Nor was/is 2 years unpaid leave (like i said I've never heard of anyone taking 2 years).
Love to know what department this is.
