Dive Brief:
- A Pew Research Center found that while the majority of those polled support all forms of paid leave, 55% think people probably take leave on false premises, reports Bloomberg.
- The study results also broke down along political party lines, says Bloomberg. Two-thirds of Republicans think people abuse paid leave benefits, as opposed to 46% of Democrats.
- The study also shows that more than half of the respondents don’t use paid leave as much as they need or want to. Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute, told Bloomberg that people who think paid leave benefits are being abused have a negative attitude that’s keeping them from using the benefits.
Dive Insight:
Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch found himself in hot water this week when a former student claimed that during his time as a law professor, he said women manipulate employers to take parental leave. Whether he actually said it or not (he denied it, as did another student in the class), it seems quite a few Americans agree with that assumption.
A vicious cycle emerges in the workplace when these views are prevalent. Women, especially, receive the brunt of the punishment, as they feel either penalized for taking leave or completely unable to go back to work due to the demands of new parenthood. That usually leads to less women at work, decreased diversity and retention and, in the long run, poor business value.
By discussing what flexibility and paid time off means to your office for all team members, an organization could break that cycle. Making flexibility a part of every employee's life, not just parents, could stymie bad implementation of parental leave and improve employee engagement overall.