Weighing the balance in NZ's work-life policies
Research by a Linkages-sponsored visiting fellow will contribute to New Zealand policies relating to work-life balance.
Jodie Epstein-Levin, Deputy Director of the Centre for Law and Social Policy, Washington DC, is in New Zealand on an Ian Axford Fellowship in Public Policy and a SPEaR Linkages Visiting Research Fellowship.
Jodie's research will inform both New Zealand and USA audiences of lessons that can be learned from the implementation of work-life balance policies.
One aspect involved interviews with low income workers about their experiences of paid parental and sick leave policies, and interviews with small businesses on how these policies affected them."I chose these two policies because they are both central to work-life balance," she says.
Most New Zealand employers she spoke to supported legislation on sick leave. "They say the absence of a Federal law on sick leave in the United States is archaic or inhumane. That's not to say they don't have concerns on the implementation and details relating to staff absences here. But broadly they are supportive of a national law."
Most supported parental leave, but were concerned about managing staff absences. Some felt longer absences were easier to manage so they preferred an employee combining 12 weeks' paid leave with the 12 months of unpaid parental leave that is available under New Zealand law. "For others, it was the particular employees taking leave, rather than the time frame."
Her interviews with low income workers focused on the experience of solo mothers on paid parental leave. "I wanted to get the experience of a group for whom it is difficult to achieve work-life balance. Generally they found the application process was straightforward, and they are grateful for every cent they can get. Many found themselves taking time beyond 12 weeks, and they then applied for the Domestic Purposes Benefit as a way to achieve work-life balance."
Jodie's Linkages-funded work also involved running a national audio-conference on issues related to enhanced case management for recipients of domestic purposes and widows benefits. The goals were two-fold: "First, to see whether an audio-conference call was a good mechanism for providing information related to enhanced case management and secondly to focus on providing information that would help the case managers in their work."
The hour-long audio-conference was run like a radio show, with Jodie interviewing three guest speakers. Listeners were invited to email questions in advance, and these were woven into the show.
"The feedback we've received is that case managers support this format, and would like to see future audio-conferences run along these lines," Jodie says. The responses we've had show there is a great deal of interest in the process, and a thirst for information generally."
Jodie says audio-conferencing can be a useful and cost-effective means of bringing together people who often work in professional isolation.
