Family responsibility and paternity leave among male employees at eThekwini municipality.

Abstract

Family responsibility arrangements are an important driver of retention strategies at a global level. Both the data and anecdotal evidence confirm that hours of work are increasing. Globally, 57 percent of people work more than 40 hours a week. This is making it more difficult for working mothers and fathers to maintain a work-life balance. Furthermore, female labour force participation in South Africa rose from 38 percent in 1995 to 51.2 percent in 2008 (Stats SA, 2008). At the same time, there has been an increase in the number of people in need of care, especially young children needing early childhood care. A poor work-life balance, reflected in poor or inadequate family responsibility arrangements, not only results in higher medical claims but also an increase in employee turnover and absenteeism. In contrast, companies that help employees achieve a work-life balance by putting worker-friendly family arrangements in place often witnessa significant decline in these ‘markers’, especially absenteeism and employee turnover. EThekwini Municipality is not immune to these challenges. Like any other workplace; the Municipality needs to promote family-friendly working arrangements. These would include human resource policies which encourage male employees to utilise the family responsibility leave provided by the Municipality. This study analyses the take up of family responsibility leave and paternity leave among male employees at eThekwini Municipality. The paucity of literature in this area of study motivated the current study, which measures how family responsibility leave is promoted and used in eThekwini Municipality and how it contributes to a family-friendly working environment, which will, in turn, be a strategic tool in ‘talent management’. This study revealed that eThekwini Municipality offers family responsibility leave over and above the provisions of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act. However, most male employees do not make use of family responsibility leave even though they believe it is important to do so. It is also evident from this study that getting the work-family or family-work balance right is not only vital to improve the welfare of female employees; but that it also has a positive impact on gender equality and equal opportunities for men and women by reducing the disturbance of careers that are often lost to women due to their caring responsibilities.