Purpose
DNA wants to stay as a family-friendly working environment because the possibility to fit in the working life with daily life is essential for everybody’s health and well-being. One objective of grandparental leave is to support the employee’s well-being at work during the later stages of their working career. Becoming a grandparent is an enormous thing, and spending time with the newborn grandchild is very important for many people. Furthermore, many grandparents would also like to help new parents.
Results
The grandparental leave has received a great deal of positive curiosity and joyful feedback. DNA employees with grandchildren have held their grandparental leaves and their feedback has been nothing but positive. In total, about 60 employees have now taken the grandparental leave.
Implementation
The paid grandparent leave is available to grandparents of children born during or after 2017. Employees who have become grandparents through other means, such as adoption, are also entitled to the leave. The grandparental leave should be used for spending time with the family within one year from the birth of the grandchild. From the employer’s point of view, the investment has been reasonable, since in a company with a lot of employees it is relatively easy to organize the work of an employee with a one-week leave during their absence.
The grandparental leave contributes to the wellbeing of employees, creates united families and happy children; there is an indirect impact on growing the number of family members and the rate of growing of one nation. The balance between work and family should be of interest to all parties, a win-win situation for employer and employee in the end.
The impact of the act comes from addressing the need for families to have a larger support network. There is, naturally, impact for the grandparents, children, but also mothers and fathers. If they can be offered reprieve at certain moments, it can have a great impact on the well being. This act doesn't resolve the need for grandparents and children to be in close relationships, however, it can support their bonding.
Offering one week of paid grandparental leave to staff is an easy to implement and a concrete way to support work-life balance and enable grandparents to support their families. This planet act is very easy for any company to replicate.
A good idea!