How Do Employers Respond to a Policy Reform of Parental Leave? A Focus on Fathers and Companies From Economy Sectors With Traditionally Lower Take-Up Rates

Abstract

The paper explores the perceptions and management practices regarding parental leave among a specific group of employers: those likely to have low parental leave take-up among staff. We conducted qualitative interviews with employers in 18 Luxembourg-based companies of sizes and economy sectors where low take-up is most prevalent. We explored how leave requests, employees’ absences and their return after parental leave are managed and how employers deal with the recent reform of parental leave policy. The results show that employers try to minimize the cost of fathers’ absence from work by negotiating over the timing of take-up and the form of leave to be taken. Parental leave is preferred over other work–life balance measures because it is perceived as a short-term and timely arrangement during a career. In this particular group of employers, parental leave is also viewed as more compatible with work and organization processes than other measures.

Parental Leave Take-up and its Intensity. Do Partners’ Workplace Characteristics Matter?

“…This may be explained by the greater societal pressure for larger companies to gain social legitimacy, and also by the fact that implementing the policy is less demanding in larger companies. Further, larger companies imply less pressure on human resources management, as well as fewer issues related to the costs of replacing people on leave and reintegrating people returning after taking it (Bygren and Duvander, 2006;Van Breeschoten et al, 2019;Amjahad et al, 2022). Anxo et al (2007) used data from company-level cross-country surveys and note that the economy sector with notably high leave take-up rates among staff is that of education, health, and social services.…”

“…This finding is more prevalent in companies where the management aligns with traditional gender norms. Fathers have to deal with a different approach by their managers and colleagues when considering taking leave, and may foresee somewhat more demanding negotiation and adjustment processes in the workplace than mothers (Naz, 2010;Van Breeschoten et al, 2019;Amjahad et al, 2022). Van Breeschoten et al (2019) suggest that when negotiating parental leave take-up with employees, managers tend to accommodate men informally (e.g.…”