I’ve seen the media cover this story generated by Megann Foy’s book of the same name. There has certainly been a lot of buzz created by the story as well as attracting its fair share of controversy.
Mothers crying foul that their maternity leave has been likened to an extended holiday for two, meanwhile non-parents are wondering how they can get some extended paid time away from work.
I cannot weigh into this debate as I am not a mother and have therefore not taken maternity leave.
However, I do have some fairly heavy exposure to both sides of this story. I do not think for one second that maternity leave could be considered ‘me’ time for anyone, ask any new mum what their new routine looks like and I think within about 30 seconds you will have had an attitude alteration.
I think all mothers everywhere deserve a giant medal for their tireless work in raising the next generation. Equally, I think there is another group of people who are working just as hard making their contribution to the business world through their work in a thousand different capacities.
Both sides of this equation are working hard for the future of their family or for their career, and often both.
Creating a period of leave for non-‘new parents’ to refresh already exists, it’s called Annual Leave or in some instances Sabbatical leave.
If you are so cray-cray at work then you need to have a look at your own contribution and therefore responsibility for that. Are you saying ‘yes’ too often, is your boss taking advantage? does he/she know they are taking advantage?, are you keeping any kind of control or focus on your own work / leisure balance?
So before we go demanding more leave, remember that we all have 24 hours in each day (parents, and non-parents alike) and how we manage that time and who we offer it to is entirely up to us.