Urbis has committed to giving male and female employees greater scope and choice
Property consultants Urbis have revised its Parental Leave Policy, which takes effect from 1 July 2019 and complements the company’s Transitioning To and From Parenthood Guidelines and Working Your Way (the company’s Flexible Working framework).
The policies aim to support all Urbis employees, regardless of gender, to balance their work and family commitments, recognising that parental leave is a basic necessity when it comes to achieving equality in the workplace.
Jane Wildmun, Group Human Resources Director at Urbis, said when most of us think of parental leave we think of women, but this policy aims to change the focus to promote and improve gender equality for both women and men.
“We can begin to achieve this by removing gender specific terminology and stereotypes from our policy, and giving both our male and female employees greater scope and choice when it comes to caring for their new family,” added Wildmun.
“In addition, we have reviewed our policy benefits and are proud to provide our employees with competitive entitlements that equal or surpass some of the best practice in the market.”
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These benefits include 18 weeks of paid (full-salary) primary carer leave, along with a one-off superannuation ‘super-bump’ payment during unpaid leave, and three weeks of paid (full-salary) secondary carer leave.
Other features of the revised Parental Leave Policy include: reduced eligibility periods for participation, from two years to 12 months, guidance and support during the transition in and out of work and for transition into parenthood.
Moreover, primary carers have access to 10 paid ‘keeping in touch’ days to support and keep new parents connected to the workplace.
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Overall, this policy is designed to provide employees with greater scope and choice when it comes to caring for their families while working.
Urbis CEO, Ben Pollack said the workplaces of the future will facilitate greater levels of collaboration, innovation and flexibility for our people and clients.
“Whether juggling a family or not, Urbis is committed to ensuring all employees continue to feel supported at work.”
