A new report by S&P Global found a potential long-term positive impact of the pandemic with more businesses beginning to implement broader family-leave programs. The report found that in the months after COVID-19 cases increased, more businesses began to offer family-leave policies such as subsidized back-up childcare, subsidized back-up elder care, and mental health resources. The report warns that if benefit policies are left unchecked and are not updated, women participation in the workforce could decrease significantly and face permanent setbacks due to the gender pay gap. To prevent this problem, the report recommends that employers become more flexible in the benefits and hours they offer noting that workplaces with flexibility tend to retain more of their female employees.

 

Learn more about SFA’s Diversity and Inclusion initiative here.

 

Click here to read more.