The Workers Union has issued a challenge to firms that fail to tell candidates about pay and conditions for working parents.
Recent research from the Executive Coaching Consultancy (ECC) shows that some companies fail to publish these details on their websites. The list of shame includes Tesco, Dyson and Virgin Media.
The report benchmarks the online transparency of parental benefit policies amongst organisations ranked in the Times Top 100 Graduate Employers.
The EEC report said that 76 percent of employers surveyed ranked in either ‘visible’, ‘foggy’ or ‘invisible’ categories. But they also highlighted that making parental policies available online would meet the criteria for inclusion in the ‘fully visible’ category.
There was better news elsewhere however, as the last 12 months saw a slight improvement overall. The total number of companies publishing policies in this area increased from 18 percent in 2019 to 24 percent in 2020.
The Workers Union says
The Workers Union’s chief spokesman, said: ‘It’s astonishing that we’re having this debate in 2020. The focus of company benefits packages should be flexible working arrangements, parental leave and maternity/paternity pay. When candidates can’t find the information they need, it’s natural to conclude that there’s something to hide.
Mr Morgan also drew attention to potential changes in the way companies recruit and retain talent: ‘The post-Corona world is likely to see changes in the approach to staff recruitment. Lockdown has shown that people can work in distributed teams and still get the job done. It’s also had manifest benefits in terms of work/life balance for busy parents. It seems likely that firms who offer terms and conditions that reflect this new reality will be the big winners.
‘What we need is for companies to make publishing their policies a priority. Working people are under enough pressure without worrying about how they will manage their family lives if they apply for a new job.
‘The Parental Leave and Pay Arrangements Publications Bill timed out, but the recommendations were rolled into the Good Work Plan. Company chiefs should prepare to meet the obligations outlined in this report and get ahead now. If this nation is really committed to offering good quality working opportunities, then this is an excellent place to start.
The Workers Union – Britain’s hardest working union
