The Problem with Netflixs Parental Leave Policy

The Problem with Netflixs Parental Leave PolicyThe Problem with Netflixs Parental Leave PolicyLets say youre a 30-year-old woman and youre 22 weeks pregnant with your first child. Now lets say you work for Netflix, which just announced a new maternity and paternity leave policy that allows new mothers and fathers alike the ability to take as much paid parental leave as they want during their childs first year of his or her life. And so, as that young woman, when push comes to push push push, andyoure in the midst of deciding how much paid maternity leave to take, do you a) take the entire year of paid leave since thats the fruchtwein your employer is offering, b) wait and see how it goes- maybe take two or three months, maybe take five, maybe even six depending on how youre dealing with motherhood and how much you miss or dont miss working, c) take as little time off as possible because you fear your manager will look down upon you for taking too much time off and/or your colleagues will be getting a leg up on you in your absence, no matter what assurances your manager has given you, or d) get so frozen with choices since theres no set time for paid leave that you stress yourself out, and stressing yourself out, of course, is the last thing you need during your pregnancy and initial weeks of motherhood?I present the above to point out that, although Netflixs new leave policy might sound generous on the surface, I believe that its likely to be anything but. And what wouldve been a lot more generous is this for Netflix to have given employees a full year of paid leave, if thats indeed what the firm intended to offer, or at the very least a very generous amount of leave such as five months or six months, which is what some of the more perk-progressive companies, largely in the tech industry, do. This would have mitigated any desire for Netflix employees to undercut their colleagues leaves in attempts to look like better employees, and mitigated any stress about ho w much leave one should take.I should also point out Im hardly alone in critiquing Netflix. Already, others have posed similar reservations about the firms new policy.Sarah Jane Glynn, director of womens economic policy at the Center for American Progress, pointed out that there could be a big difference between what the company is signaling to the public and what it actually wants its employees to do. Did they write the policy with the expectation that every parent will take a full year, or did they say we know its unlimited for a year but we know people will only take two months? she said.Worse, theres no legal barrier preventing people who take an extended leave from risking their jobs. The Family and Medical Leave Act guarantees someones job for up to 12 weeks of time away, but beyond that there are no protections. One would hope Netflix wouldnt fire you if you took a full year of leave, but they would be in their full rights to do so after you returned, Glynn pointed out.Glynn argued for a more defined policy. If Netflix thinks you should take a year, they should say you have one year of leave, she said. I understand there are some reasons why you could argue its a good policy, that people can tailor it to their own needs. But I think its way too open to interpretation and has the potential to backfire.Wired magazine also pointed out the potential shortcomings of the Netflix policy.Unlimited leave, however, can come with its own complications. Without a clear policy, employees may feel they need to take less time off in order to work the same hours as their colleagues or to appeal to their managers. Others might opt not to take any at all.Its also possible that an unlimited (that is, unlimited under a year) maternity and paternity leave policy could work about as well as unlimited vacation time. Which also appears to be extremely generous at a glance but sometimes results in employees taking a lot less time off than they wouldve had there been a limited a mount of PTO offered.All of which isnt to say that Netflix shouldnt be applauded for making an effort to further improve its already very generous workplace benefits. But perhaps the company deserves more of a golf clap than a standing ovation.Follow me on Twitter.Read MoreWhy Is Silicon Valley So Un-Family-Friendly?Take the PLAT (Parental Leave Aptitude Test) 10 Best Perks the Big 4 Offer

5 Trending Topics in Project Management 2016

5 Trending Topics in Project Management 20165 Trending Topics in Project Management 2016What do you get when you put some of the best project management brains in the world together and ask them to come up with what the future looks like? You get an amazing insight into how project management is evolving and whats hot right now. TwentyEighty Strategy Execution, a project and wertmiger zuwachs management training firm, brought a panel of global senior managers together to ask them to reveal and comment on whats trending in project management today. Heres what they had to say. 1. Agile Is Here To Stay If you work in a waterfall project management environment, watch out, because Agile is coming to a project near you The expert panel recognized that many organizations are still struggling with principles of Agile. However, the leaders of the pack are helping their staff over those initial hurdles and making it possible to blend Agile thinking into the way projects are run. Getting wo rk done no longer needs to only involve what they call disciplined approaches (think of PRINCE2, for example).You can use the best of both to streamline your project delivery and find an approach that works perfectly for you. 2. Project Manager = Strategic Manager Project management is no longer a role that is simply about delivery. While completing work on time will always be one of the top skills for project managers that isnt the only thing you need to be successful any longer. Project managers need to be able to see the bigger picture and relate what projects do to how they meet the strategic goals of the organization. Theres a big role to play in making sure that project financial targets are hit and TwentyEighty say that the project managers role is moving from that of project manager to profit manager. Thats quite a big leap for many project managers who may have only previously known how to write a project geschftsleben case, and havent had much financial exposure beyond that. 3. Embedding Change Management In Everything Change management used to be the domain of the change manager, but today many organizations dont have the luxury of someone to just fulfill this role. Every project delivers change, and change management is a key skill for a project manager. Its elend something that every project manager will embrace but without effective change management processes and the right attitude to embedding change, projects wont be able to deliver successfully over the longer term. To put it another way, change management makes change sticky. Change management training is something that you should consider if you dont feel your own skills allow you to do this role completely. The expert panel commented that businesses shouldnt assume that staff have learned how to manage change on their own so you might find that your boss is open to the idea of sending you on a short course. 4. Training, Training, Training In todays marketplace, the expert panel recognized that training can be a competitive advantage for businesses. Project managers need a range of skills from the technical skills theyll learn through PMP training to good communication skills, analytical thinking and more. Its more cost-effective to train your own team than it is to recruit and hire senior staff. 5. Project Management is Everywhere The chances are that you are reading this article and you dont have a formal, traditional background in project management. You are not unusual thats the way that many, many project managers started out. The TwentyEighty panel also identified that project work is not confined to one area of the business and as such project management is no longer just for project managersif you see what I mean. In other words, everyone is managing projects these days, even if they dont have a project-related job title. The benefits of this for business include better customer satisfaction, increased efficiencies and stronger strategic alignm ent overall.

How to use sinking funds to save for goals all year

How to use sinking funds to save for goals all yearHow to use sinking funds to save for goals all yearHappy Financial Literacy Month You know Im trying to teach you about money all year long, but this month, money nerds like me go even harder on the advice. For my part, I will be writing about specific, concrete financial questions Ive gotten from clients or followers in the past. This week, Im writing about sinking funds. To be honest, Id never heard of that term until Money Circle this past January when an attendee asked about it. But even though Ive never heard the term, Im very familiar with the idea and I actually write and talk about it all the time.A sinking fund is a savings account that is built up over time by tischsetting smaller amounts of money aside to build up to the larger amount. I talk about this approach all the time when talking about saving money or even paying for annual expenses. Its a pretty simple strategy, but it does take some planning and fine-tuning.Follo w Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreIdentify the goalWhat do you want to save up for? Is it a trip? A wedding? Gifts for holiday season? Your car insurance payment? Anything that you know you cant cover in a given month, or that will blow up your budget when its due, is worth planning and saving for. But its important to get clear on what those things are for you. It can be something fun or it can be something important. Either way, youll feel better knowing you have a plan to get there.Do the mathHow much money do you have to save up to reach your goal? Do the necessary research to come up with a number. Look through your banking statements to see how much you paid for something last year. Once you come up with a clear number to work towards, youll be able to take the right steps to get you there.Save monthlyOnce you have the full number for your goal (or multiple goals) break that num ber down by month. How much do you have to set aside each month to reach your goal by your deadline? The size of the number will vary depending on the size of the goal and how soon you want to reach it. However, breaking the big number down into small, attainable chunks will make it a lot less scary and much more likely that youll reach itIt helps me to create separate savings accounts for separate goals. I have one savings account for non-monthly expenses like car insurance, annual fees, etc. I have other savings accounts for things like gifts and travel. Having them separate helps me to track my progress while not overdrawing from one goal to pay for another. Usually, online banks likeAllywont charge you any extra fees for having multiple savings accounts.Automate your savingsThe best way to reach your financial goals is to automate the process so that you dont have to think about it. It takes the human aspect out of it and prevents temptation to spend the money. The best way to d o this if you have a regular paycheck is to set up direct deposit. Most employers are able to deposit different amounts into different accounts for every paycheck. Ask your HR department how you can set this up and do it right away. If you dont have a regular paycheck, or if your employer doesnt do direct deposit, there are other ways you can do this. Some banks will automate the transfer for you. If that isnt an option, apps likeDigitwill move money into different accounts for you.Only use it for that goalIf automating saving is the most important thing to do, not touching your savings until you absolutely need it is the second most important thing. Dont spend money that youre saving for one thing on something else This is especially true when it comes to emergency savings, which is why its helpful to separate that account from your checking account. However, that advice still applies to other goals youre saving for. This is also why separating your goals into different savings acc ounts is useful. You can even give your savings accounts different names if youre using an online bank. Use a clear, obvious nickname for each account and do not pull from your accounts until its time to use the money for your goalsStart over againOnce youve reached your goal and paid for that thing, the story isnt over Presumably, an annual fee will come up again, Christmas will come again next year, and youll want to travel again someday. Thats why its important to revisit your individual goals and continue (or adjust) your savings schedule. Consider these monthly amounts a permanent line item in your budget, and youll always have the money when a bill comes due or a trip arises.This article originally appeared on Maggie Germano.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will ersatzdarsteller your productivityThe w orst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people