Forcing new parents out of the workplace — for their own good and ours
Right after World War II, hundreds of Jewish children who had been imprisoned in the concentration camps were brought to England for rehabilitation. My father, Walter Hartmann, was a counselor at one of the rehabilitation centers in the British countryside.
The work was emotionally exhausting — these were profoundly traumatized kids. To combat burnout, the center had a strict rule that counselors were not permitted on the premises during their days off. The administrators understood that it was essential for the highly-committed counselors to take real breaks from the work, so they forced them to do it.
I think about this often when coaching overworked and exhausted employees who refuse to step away from their work. The stresses are particularly acute with new parents. Americans barely take our paid vacation time. Family leave, in the rare cases it’s available and paid, can seem to some parents almost like a taunt. Sure, it may be offered. But what will the consequences be for taking it?
These worries are damaging, not just to us as workers, but to us as humans and parents. To combat them, I have a proposal: When a new baby is born, both parents would be required to take a month off work. It would be paid leave and it would not be optional. Their annual bonuses for that year would be prorated for the 11 months they worked, so there is no financial penalty.
It may seem impossible. But before you laugh it off, think of what it could accomplish.
The benefits of mandatory parental leaveThe upsides of forcing time off for both parents would be huge:
Newborn babies would benefit from more time with their parents at the start of life. This would strengthen bonds within families and facilitate early infant development.
Companies would not have to worry about exhausted, distracted new parents coming in to work and doing a sub-standard job.
Men would get time with their new babies. Although a few companies offer paternal leave, very few men take advantage of it. They often fear it will show a lack of commitment to their jobs, and that they will be penalized when it is time for raises and promotions.
Balancing work with childcare would no longer be seen as a women’s problem alone. Equal, required parental leave would encourage both men and women to participate in finding solutions that work for the family as a whole.
Women would no longer be penalized for taking time away. Maternity leave — even a short few weeks away from the office — is a major barrier on the path toward equity between men and women in pay and promotions. By requiring all new parents to take leave, we could reduce the penalty women pay for having children.
But what if the parents don’t want to spend the full time with their baby? No one says they must. They can hire a nanny and go off to Hawaii if they like, but they cannot go in to work.
It may seem fantastical, but the problems a forced family leave would solve are very real. I am intrigued by what it could accomplish. What do you think? Email me if you want to discuss it further.
