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National firm confirms new paid and unpaid parental leave policy
A national law firm has announced it has shaken up one of its employee policies by rolling out superannuation contributions for both paid and unpaid parental leave.
Emma Musgrave
Corrs Chambers Westgarth has announced it has revamped the policy, which sees it make contributions for a period of up to 12 months to employees taking either paid or unpaid primary carers or secondary carers leave, a statement from the firm said. Corrs provides 18 weeks paid leave for the primary carer and three weeks for the secondary carer.
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“This initiative is a positive step towards achieving pay equity," said Corrs CEO Gavin MacLaren.
“Payment of superannuation during periods of parental leave can make a significant difference to the retirement savings of employees who take time out of work during their careers to care for children. This is particularly true for women who are more often the primary caregivers during periods of parental leave.”
The policy move by Corrs comes following Mr MacLaren recently becoming a Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) Pay Equity Ambassador.
“I am committed to achieving gender equality in the workplace and, along with the firm’s leadership, will continue to ensure it is recognised as a priority within the firm,” he said.
“Ultimately, a supportive and inclusive culture generates a diverse, engaged and high-performing workforce.”
Director of the WGEA Libby Lyons commended Mr MacLaren and Corrs for their contribution to ensuring equality and pay parity.
“The retirement savings gap in this country means that women retire with an average 40 per cent less superannuation than men," Ms Lyons said.
“Women should not incur a lifelong financial penalty for taking time off work to care for family. Corrs Chambers Westgarth is to be congratulated for taking this important step to improve the superannuation savings of their employees who are also working parents.
“The fact that women shoulder the burden of unpaid caring work in our society is a major contributor to the gender pay gap, which currently sits at 30 per cent in the legal sector. Only concerted action from employers will drive this figure down. By becoming a Pay Equity Ambassador, I’d like to thank Gavin MacLaren for taking action on pay equity and promoting the issue in the broader community."
