PAID-PARENTAL LEAVE PROGRAM
Empowering women is our everyday mission. It’s in our DNA. The way we see it, every female should feel inspired and encouraged in the workforce.
Our Paid Parental Leave Program (PPLP) helps close the gap on inequality for those balancing the fickle art of work and parenthood. Life happens, family members get sick and need support, and to us, that’s OK. Our PPLP normalises the need to focus on the things that matter. Deadlines can wait, family can’t.
As a female-founded business (and one that’s employed a lot of women), we can’t ignore what our team need at every stage of the parenting journey. We strive to give ongoing support to DISSH families while they navigate every new stage. There’s a reason it takes a village.
On average, an Australian woman earns $1 million less than an Australian man across her career. Motherhood comes with an earnings penalty. Across the first five years of parenting their first child, women’s earnings are reduced by 55% on average. During the same time, men’s earnings remain unaffected (Australian Government’s Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce 10 Year Plan).
We are determined to do our part to close this gap. Women work, women also create life and have children (can you say that again?!), and it's our view, if you wish, you should have the freedom to choose both.
So, we’ve made a commitment. Every year we will take inspired action to continue to close this gap. We will continue to build on this legacy PPL program over the next 5+ years. As we grow, the impact we can make grows. Reinvesting profits, back into our people. There is no doubt that the challenges faced by working women are complex, wide, and varied, but with the right support from employers, these challenges are infinitely more possible to overcome.
Two years on, our most asked questions is ,"How does a business with 94% women afford a PPLP?" Our answer? We can't afford not to. Our call to action? Employers, leaders, business owners. It is time to prioritise programs like this. It’s not only the right thing to do, it’s good business. We have undertaken a self-case study to understand the true cost of our PPLP. What started as a commitment to do the right thing and empower our women has evolved into being a strategic business decision driving long-term success in talent retention, attraction, and engagement, and we have the stats to prove it, including a 140% increase in job applicants from 2023.
If you’re a business or leader wanting to make change, our doors are open. Reach out to PC@dissh.com.au and join our collective mission.
