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The Parental Fog Index looks at how clear companies are being.
New research by coaching consultancy ECC has found that nearly two-thirds of the Times Top 100 Graduate Employers don’t publish basic details of their family-friendly policies.
The 2021 Parental Fog Index: Cross-Industry Report examined company websites for explanations of their parental pay and leave and discovered only 37% publish their policy details, although this has risen from 24% in 2020.
“The gap is widening between top employers that actively market their family-friendly credentials and those that are still leaving candidates in the dark about pay and benefits for working parents,” said Geraldine Gallacher, CEO of ECC.
“By choosing to be completely transparent about parental pay and benefits at the start of the recruitment journey, the ‘Beacon’ organisations identified in our report are sending a strong signal that they are a place where people can progress their careers after starting a family.”
The report was carried out in July and each website was scored by an independent researcher for the depth and detail of the information they provided.
Gallacher argued the companies not publishing detailed policies risk being left behind as the push continues for increased flexible working.
“Employers that don’t speak directly to the needs of working parents appear tone deaf to calls for workplaces to be more family-friendly and are putting themselves at a disadvantage in an increasingly competitive job market.
The data did show that companies as a whole are trying to be more family-friendly. The numbers of organisations who improved their ranking from last year almost doubled to 40%, demonstrating that the pandemic has increased employer awareness around parental benefit transparency and the importance of being more attuned to the needs of working parents.