Should paid parental leave be enforced by the government?

[Takka 13,377]

 

Paid parental leave is available in many other countries like Canada for instance, where the businesses cover the cost of leave to allow flexible arrangements for families and their newborn. However it can also be argued as unfair towards a business as it's a choice made by the employee, which is where the responsibility should fall. Possible implementation could involve making employees regularly pay a small fee much like with an insurance plan, so that the business can more realistically cover any future leave required for a newborn.

 

[Pandora 455]

I think it's a mutually beneficial idea for the business and the employee, based on good faith. It should remain a choice for the business to handle the fine details/rules of how this is made available/planned in their contract agreements as this affects their bottomline. However the government should be willing to help business' alleviate the financial burden by allocating funds (at a set rate) for this cause as part of the government's responsibility to support a stable workforce and growing economy (giving emphasis to those who earn less than a certain income and wouldn't be able to support themselves otherwise).

I'm not terribly keen on the fee to be taken from an employee's pay as opposed to being an employees' title benefits for leave arrangements as per the hours/years they've given in service to their employer. It should be given access to any employee regardless of gender (as paternal or maternal leave), so long as they qualify as a primary care giver, agree to their employer's terms and conditions and understand there is a maximum time period where this is made available per child and are required to be back at work after this agreed period.

Additionally temporary* vacant postions (due maternal/paternal leave) can be a perfect opportunity for a business to allow another employee to further their career development whilst helping the business reach their targets.

Edited May 7, 2014 by Pandora

[pong 187]

I think it should be paid. Sweden has done this for decades now, other countries are quickly catching on. Then again, this is the USA, and although we call ourselves a developed country, we are behind in everything.