On The Register

In the course of creating the register, I’ve had dozens of conversations with employers across New Zealand. 9 times out of 10, they ask me why we’re building the register.

And that’s fair game. After all, if they’re going to trust Crayon to disclose the finer details of their policy (a global first), then they understandably want to know what our motivations are. So here I am to tell you why this is so important to me and to our mission at Crayon.

Simplify the complexities of parental leave

I’m a planner, yet I was totally underprepared for parenthood. In the lead-up to welcoming my first child in 2019, my attention was focused on balancing the demands of my work with the physical load of pregnancy. What energy I had left to devote to baby prep was spent on the obvious. Pram research? Check. Parental leave research? Not so much. 

It turns out that there’s quite a bit of detail when it comes to parental leave - and the fine print matters.

My first hope for the register is that it sparks awareness, not just for expecting parents but for aspiring parents and people who aren’t even sure they want to be parents. Every year, close to 100,000 working Kiwis welcome a child, and more families than ever rely on two incomes. The more they understand the ins and outs of how parental leave works, the better they can plan for the arrival of their child and the more likely they are to find their feet and thrive.

Map the landscape

In the five short years since I was pregnant, the parental leave landscape has changed considerably. Employers increasingly recognise the monumental change a new child brings to an employee’s life and the role that a workplace can play in supporting employees to give their best at work and at home.

As the landscape shifts, it’s important for employees to have parental leave information on hand well in advance. Firstly, to plan for the financial changes coming their way, and secondly, because they have to work at the same employer for 12 months or more to be eligible for full parental leave entitlement under the legislation.

Asking about parental leave in a job interview or even in your current job can feel awkward at best, discriminatory at worst. It’s no wonder 60% of candidates would hesitate to raise the question.

My second hope for the register is that it shines a spotlight on parental leave in New Zealand in a way that’s purposeful for employees, employers and policymakers. We knew that the only way to do this was to work hand-in-hand with employers.

Bring the detail

We have always been clear that the register would not be a tool to rank or rate employers’ parental leave policies. The name of the game for us is transparency. We are just as delighted when an employer who offers the statutory entitlements joins the register as when an employer who has a market-leading policy does.

For those that do offer benefits above the legislated requirements, it was important to us that we not only capture additional paid leave. While that payment is valuable, there are dozens of ways employers are financially and non-financially supporting staff on their parenting journey, which can include:

• Assistance with family formation or when things don’t go to plan

• Making the transition out of and back into the workplace smoother

• Including employees on parental leave in remuneration reviews and promotion considerations

We also wanted to make clear the terms and conditions attached to any benefits, which are critical for employees to understand. 

Employers are working hard to figure out how to support their employees, and parents are working day and night to balance multiple responsibilities. Our role at Crayon is to turn on the light switch. Between us, hopefully we can make it easier for expecting Kiwis to plan for one of life’s biggest (and most expensive) changes.

~ Stephanie Pow, Founder and CEO of Crayon