Boston Consulting Group Australia and New Zealand updated parental leave policy provides more choice and flexibility for all parents

SYDNEY—Boston Consulting Group ANZ recently announced significant updates to their paid parental leave policy, which will offer their employees 16 weeks of parental leave paid at their full wage.

The updated paid parental leave policy entitles both parents to an equal 16 weeks of paid parental leave and has removed all reference to ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ carer labels. The leave can be taken flexibly within the first 15 months of the child’s life.

Michaela Alhadeff, BCG ANZ People Director said, “Our updated paid parental leave policy is only one piece of the puzzle in supporting mothers and fathers in the workplace. We want to ensure all parents have the opportunity to be present at home and supported at work during one of the most rewarding and challenging times in their lives. There’s more work to be done in this area and BCG is determined to do our part in breaking down the obstacles to diversity and inclusion.

“These changes are an important part of our efforts to attract and retain outstanding talent. We invest heavily in training and developing our staff – they are our most valuable asset. Our experience is that if we support our staff at pivotal moments in their career, it drives significant engagement and motivation.”

BCG ANZ Managing Director Ant Roediger said, “I’m proud of the progress we’ve made as an organisation in supporting all parents to play a more active role both at home and at work. Our updated policy will help kickstart a conversation about the role of parental leave equality in promoting shared care.

“With the changes announced, our ambition is to provide even more choice and flexibility for parents to use these benefits in the way that best suits their families, and to play our part in addressing the chronic gender gap in retirement savings.”

The new policy came into effect on 1 January 2020 and includes the following benefits:

• Increasing paid parental leave to 16 weeks and making this available to all parents - removing the primary / secondary carer distinction (distinctions between maternity and paternity leave were retired in 2017)
• Allowing parental leave to be taken flexibly at a time that suits each family’s needs – including the option for parents to take leave at the same time as their partner, or as a flexible work arrangement
• Paying a 10% superannuation contribution on parental leave for up to a year, covering the 16 week fully paid period, and up to 36 additional weeks of parental leave.