State of Parental Leave 2024: Aotearoa
Stephanie Pow and I had a korero about the state of parental leave (and related support for working parents) in Aotearoa in 2024. Steph is the founder of Crayon, which is on a mission to make the unique financial decisions that come with parenthood simpler and more intuitive for employees and employers.
It’s a mission I’ve admired since Steph and I first met around three years ago.
Check out the video to hear more about the hightlights and insights from Crayon’s 2024 State of Parental Leave report.
If now isn’t the right moment to watch and listen, read on for a few highlights I’ve picked out from the conversation:
Parental leave and support for working parents didn’t fall away in 2024, despite the fact it’s not been an easy year, economically
It is so encouraging to see that employers are continuing to invest in working parents, especially when life throws one of the biggest changes (and challenges) in life, i.e. the arrival of a new child
Parental support is moving forwards, perhaps slowly but steadily in Aotearoa
Employees who are starting to think about becoming a parent can ask their employer to share the parental support policies and practice, so you can make informed decisions about your future
For those of us who don’t feel we can ask our employer directly about parental leave support, you can get in touch with Crayon to see if they already have that information, or to nominate your employer to share on the Parental Leave register
If you’re looking for a new employer, you can ask about parental support directly, but again, if that’s not comfortable, get in touch with Crayon to see how they can help
If you’re an employer looking to write or upgrade your parental leave policy and practice, get in touch with Crayon to see how they can support and guide you
The next frontier of support for working parents is likely to be to support the cost of childcare, given we take the award for the country with the most unaffordable childcare
Flexibility continues to be one of the most important aspects of support for working parents
If you want to check out the 2024 State of Parental Leave report and lots of other resources, go to https://www.gocrayon.com/
Thank you Steph for the work you are doing at Crayon. We are so lucky you’ve made this your mission!
If you want to be connected to a thriving community of working parents, check out ours. We’ve been going since 2021 and you’re warmly welcome to join us: https://www.gillianbrookes.co.nz/working-parents