Attitudes to paternity leave, for example, are changing swiftly, according to human resources consultancy Mercer, which interviewed leaders from 1,500 companies worldwide about their leave policies.
The survey discovered that 42% of companies encouraged fathers to take at least two-to-five days off immediately following the birth of their child, while 14% said they were considering increasing the number of paternity leave days.
Whether or not fathers actually do take time off is another question, however. A report by Deloitte released in June found that more than a third of 1,000 male respondents feared that taking leave would jeopardize their position at work.
Recent laws allowing gay marriage across the U.S. and other countries such as Ireland, meanwhile, are also forcing companies to rethink their leave policies.
Mercer found that more than a quarter of companies now provide adoption leave beyond what is required by law. And when asked how they handle adoption leave for same-sex couples, 87% said it’s handled in the same manner as opposite-sex couples.
“Adoption leave, like other leaves, helps employers accommodate more diverse family structures, which are now commonplace among their employee population,” said Ilya Bonic, head of Mercer’s talent business.
Other non-traditional benefits being offered by companies in the survey included parental leave for part-time employees, support programs for parents, time to recover from miscarriage and time away to care for sick or elderly relatives.
Around two-thirds of companies provided family care leave to employees to look after loved ones including children, spouses, parents, parents-in-law or siblings.
“More progressive companies are acknowledging that eldercare is as important as childcare, especially as the population ages and more working couples need to devote time to elderly family members,” Bonic said.
Tech giants such as Apple and Google dominated a recent Time magazine list of the world’s companies with the most generous parental leave policies, although non-tech companies including Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Johnson & Johnson also scored a mention.
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
