Chapter 7: Gender Equitable Policies

Buzzanell and Liu suggested that organizations develop policies that are more gender equitable including: (1) establishing HR advocate to assist in leave negotiation, (2) making parental leave policies unambiguous, (3) rewarding and promoting competent women while they are pregnant or on maternity leave, and (4) providing flexible work schedules and rewarding employees for efficiency. Buzzanell and Liu studied several women during their maternity leaves. I have also heard first hand from several women (in terms of suggestion #1). One woman (Person A) had an HR friend, so she learned how to maximize her leave, using accrued vacation time, maternity leave, and accrued sick time. Another woman (Person B) was a full-time employee but did not have vacation time and sick time benefit. I recall it might have been 45 days maternity leave for Person B, so she took 2 weeks before and 4 weeks after giving birth as leave time. This 6 weeks for Person B is drastically different from Person A who had 4 months or 16 weeks. This is not the perfect example (due to the fact that Person B did not have vacation and sick benefit) but it does demonstrate that without an HR advocate, someone might think she is limited to 45 days when she could negotiate to use vacation and sick time and take the 4 months that would give her more bonding time. Without an HR advocate, the immediate supervisor might also oppose to a 4 months leave.