Parental Leave in the Public Sector – 2024 Report
Monique Esplin's report unveils public sector parental leave policies and practices:
Best practices in agency policies
Voices from the workforce
Actionable recommendations
Key findings
How the public sector supports new parents
Ex-gratia payments are common, but confusing.
Most public sector agencies offer a 6-week ex-gratia payment, but there's a clear opportunity to improve employee awareness and offer more flexible payout options.
Access to equipment and systems during leave matters.
Agencies that allow parents to keep laptops, phones, and swipe access during leave help reduce isolation and support smoother return-to-work transitions.
Flexibility is growing, but not always guaranteed
Many agencies now support flexible return-to-work plans, including part-time transitions and hybrid work—but this is not standardised.
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