With lockdowns and quarantines hurting mental health, and redundancies and cut hours hurting hip pockets, people all over Australia are doing it tough in 2020. Yet, as much as this year has been a test of endurance, it has also been instructive in the working arena. 

Since early 2011, Australia has had a Paid Parental Leave scheme. This allows eligible working parents to get paid for up to 18 weeks when they take time off work to care for a new baby or recently adopted child.

Family friendly workplaces are often a dream for those Australian parents who return to work after parental leave. Inflexible and demanding workplaces and managers, a job that’s changed after the employee returned from maternity leave and a constant pressure to perform is the norm.

Female employees and mothers in the workplace often make the news. Whether it’s because someone thinks women would be happier working than staying home or the fact they lose out on a substantial amount of super when opting out of the workforce. It’s a complex problem with no clear solutions yet as a ‘one size fits all solution’ won’t work for families.