HR in 90 Seconds - November 2018

In this month’s ‘HR in 90 seconds' we look at gender equality and diversity from a male perspective; as employers - how do we handle redundancies; and during busy times how can we help employees manage the extra stress?

Gender Equality and Diversity – A Different Perspective

Taking a different approach to this month’s email we want to draw your attention to something that has got us thinking in the last few weeks. On 22^nd October we attended a Parenting NI event where they presented Josh Levs to undertake a powerful and thought-provoking talk on what for us was a new terrain. Josh Levs worked for 20 years as a reporter for NPR and CNN and when he became a parent he began reporting on the realities of today’s dads. In 2013, he stepped into a new global spotlight by taking legal action against Time Warner (CNN’s parent company) for fair parental leave so he could care for his preemie daughter and sick wife. The company ultimately embraced his call, revolutionising its policy to make it better for moms (it’s the US, after all) and dads.

He now works with corporations, universities and more to build policies that support men as equal caregivers, a crucial step toward ensuring equal career opportunities to women. Josh started his talk with an interesting 4-minute video ‘Dads to Media: Stop Playing us as IDIOTS!’. It is a really interesting take on how dads are portrayed by the media and TV – if you have a few minutes it is well worth a watch.

Josh Levs' delivered a number of keynote addresses when he visited from the USA. At Queen's University Belfast he gave a highly engaging address and highlighted the key role men play in our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion journey. Josh has a simple yet powerful message in tackling issues of equality and stereotype that affect everyone - he makes clear how all are affected. Josh uses his own personal experiences, accompanied with quality data, to state his case in an engaging format. The only way to achieve anything truly effective is through an "All In" approach.

Josh also gave a keynote address at Sensata Technologies Diversity Day, where he talked about the man's role in D&I. Seeking equality for women in the workplace means enabling men to be equal caregivers and Josh perfectly crystallised this principal for their leadership. Sensata Technologies believe his message will deliver lasting change in their organisation.

In a recent article This Father's Day, Let's Awaken Businesses to the Benefits of Paternity Leave Josh talks about his work with Dove Men+Care to champion better paternity leave worldwide – as part of comprehensive, paid family leave – so that every expecting father has the chance to care for the people that matter most to him. Dove Men+Care have made their paternity leave documents available on their website.

Dove Men+Care summarise 4 ways to help fathers be all they want to be, and foster a more equitable society:

• Greater availability to substantive, paid parental leave, for both men and women, supported by legislation and/or supportive corporate polices.
• Workplaces to offer flexible working arrangements, actively encourage men and women to take advantage of such policies, and communicate they will not be penalized when they take parental leave.
• Changes in societal expectations: we need to showcase examples of fathers caring for their children to help catalyse new social norms.
• Celebrate both men’s and women’s caregiving, and their roles in the lives of their children.

Other items of interest:

A Guide to Redundancy

In this month's First Tuesday Q&A, Audrey Whyte, Solicitor in A&L Goodbody, looks at common procedural questions and pitfalls that employers face when navigating the redundancy process. Included in the questions are what duration is reasonable, what is the role of the colleague or trade union and what if an employee refuses an offer of an alternative role?

Helping Employees Manage Extra Stress

Check out Caroline McEnery’s article in the Sunday Independent where she answers the question ‘We are in the middle of a busy period in the company and my employees are under more pressure than usual. How can I help them to manage this extra stress effectively?’. Caroline looks at the duty of care, policies and procedures that can be put in place by employers and why it is important to take action as soon as you are aware that someone is suffering from stress.

Caroline McEnery is speaking at Legal Island's SOLD OUT Annual Review of Employment Law 2018 conference on ‘Best Practice Workplace Investigations – Top 10 Tips, Including Establishing Appropriate Terms of Reference’.