Maternity Leave Takes A Hit
March 10th, 2008 by Cali & Jody
In our last post we talked about some of the absurdities of the sick day. Today we’re on to maternity leave. This story from the San Francisco Chronicle is a chilling example of how the progress gained by a previous generation can be lost.
The first half of the first quote (from Diane Freeman, a mother of two and the marketing director for a San Francisco law firm) is a killer:“The company has been really supportive; they’ve let me alter my hours,” she said. She goes on to talk about having balance but wishing she could have had a longer maternity leave, but we got stuck on that first line.The company is seen as being “supportive” by letting her “alter” her hours. Now we know nothing about Ms. Freeman’s abilities at work, but we’re going to assume she’s pretty good at her job to earn the position of marketing director. So she’s good enough to get the job, and good enough to do the job, but she’s not good enough to manage her life in a way that lets her contribute to the bottom line and also spend time with her baby.What makes us sad is that companies give us crumbs (that’s right: crumbs!) and we’re grateful. The best companies can offer people is the chance to “alter” their hours. We find it outrageous that good, hardworking, competent people are happy to get a little flexibility, when in fact they deserve so much more.
