My Food Bag supporting their staff

The Herald reports:

Kiwi company My Food Bag is offering a double helping of parental leave to staff who are having kids.

All new parents and primary caregivers – including dads – will be allowed an extra 18 weeks of paid leave, on top of the 18 weeks the Government will offer from April 1.

And if staff choose to work through the extra 18 weeks, the firm – co-founded by Nadia Lim and Cecilia Robinson, who are both pregnant – will boost their salary during that time, paying them an extra 60 per cent.

“Our philosophy is about healthier, happier families at home and we do that through our food and recipes,” said Lim, 30, who is due to give birth to her first child in three weeks. “It makes sense to extend that philosophy to helping families through our workplace as well.

“You get so much more out of your staff when they’re healthy and happy.”

My Food Bag is also giving all parents an extra six sick days a year, and has created a flexible environment for mums and dads returning to work, including the options of working shorter days and working from home.

That’s a great move by My Food Bag, and their staff will be thrilled.

But note this was a voluntary decision by the owners and management. That is how it should be. It may lead to competition, and some other firms feeling a need to try and match that. Excellent.

But that is different to legislating for such policies. Not all companies are the same, and not all employers can afford to be so generous.