Aiding the parental leave journey: SEEK

SEEK is committed to building an inclusive culture that values diversity and gives all workers equal access to opportunities.  

To help new and expecting parents navigate the transition, SEEK developed a comprehensive program that supports both individuals and the organisation. 

“It’s important to be proactive and work on system level changes to support parents navigate the transition and make flexibility work for them.” Unkari Warmann, HR Director 

The program comprises: 

• extended parental leave eligibility for up to 18 months, with 14 weeks paid parental leave, including superannuation 
• one-on-one parental leave transition coaching to any parents taking parental leave, both before and after returning to paid work 
• couple navigation sessions, to facilitate discussions between partners about sharing the load 
• leaders’ session providing tips and strategies to help managers lead a team member through the transition 
• support for all parents, regardless of gender and including birth and adoptive parents 
• ongoing evaluation to ensure it meets needs at individual and organisational levels.  

Evaluation results show increased retention, job satisfaction and employee engagement, and improved mental health and wellbeing.   

Drawing on its experience, SEEK has identified some lessons for others: 

• Investing in training for all managers and supervisors is critically important to avoid the ‘boss lottery’ (where the success of transition depends on the leader rather than a consistent approach). 
• Support networks for parents within organisations provide valuable peer mentoring and support.  
• Making access to leave open and flexible for fathers and non-birth parents helps create opportunities for inclusion and reduce implicit bias.   
• Providing workers with coaching support means they have a sounding board and someone neutral to talk to, who isn’t their leader or partner – it’s incredibly beneficial to both the worker and the organisation.