Issue of Maternity and Paternity Leave - Essay Example

Case study It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that living in the social environment should be regarded as one of the prerequisites for the development of the inner potential of a human being. In addition to that, success life in the society is inseparably connected to securing a stable source of income and a workplace. That is why, one might assume that in the society a person exists in two frameworks: in one’s family and at one’s work. However, there are often situations when the former and the latter might be in a conflict. This paper will analyze the issue of maternity and paternity leave from different points of view. It must be noted that at the present moment my career as well as family life are in harmony. On the one hand, I am able to pay sufficient amount of attention towards matter that contribute to my development as a professional. On the other hand, I feel that I always have to spend with my family and I can hardly recall any instances when I had to experience any difficulties because of work in terms of my work life balance. Nevertheless, if I think about the issue in question in the long run, I might point out that the mindset of corporate America does not really suit me when it comes to harmonizing work and family. I see that the government has taken a rather radical position with regard to maternity leave. I do acknowledge the fact that capitalism and free market by far constitute the fundamental beliefs of the American way of life; however, similar to many people, I am strongly convinced that the government is able to do better when it comes to caring after its citizens. If 160 other countries in the world were able to adopt a similar practice and did not collapse, then the United States might follow the suit as well (Shaw & Barry, 2015, 451). The question whether the United States should require companies to provide paid maternity leave is extremely controversial. On the one hand, this is exactly what people want it to. In spite of the fact that there are numerous generations of families who raised their children without paid maternity leave, the majority of the public feels that this might be a valuable contribution to their welfare. On the other hand, there is a considerable number of people who dislike socialism and would oppose to any elements of it being introduced into the capitalistic American society. That is why the government should not require companies to provide paid maternity leave as it would distort the economic environment within the country. In addition to that, if a company is wiling to implement it on its own, the government should to assist as well. Of course, it does not mean that the state does not care about its citizens. However, the selectiveness is assistance is not acceptable. In other words, it would be extremely unfair if some citizens could enjoy a paid maternity leave and others could not. As for the concept of paternity leave, the United State should not require companies to offer it. There is no doubt that the culture which has already formed in the American society is likely to reject this practice as it does not fall in line with other values which have been promoted for a considerable period of time. In other words, the social environment nowadays is structured in a way that allows fathers to earn enough money to support their families, under favorable conditions; so, paternity leave would go against the need of men to be effective workers. It is rather obvious that if the company wants its employees to combine career and child raising, there should be specialized organizational arrangements made. One would make no mistake that having a child has an important impact on ever part of life of a person, including one’s productivity. This means that if a company is reluctant to make any adjustments, it practically wastes the most valuable material that it has – the people. As a result, the overall productivity will gradually decline which could have been avoided if family and professional lives had been combined in the work place. The steps that might be required to do so are different in their nature. They can reflect such fundamental points as being able to interact with one’s child in the course of a work day. In addition to that, it may be suitable to adjust the schedule of the workers so that they could come with their children without exposing them to high pressure. Finally, a company should make sure that a child may be easily reached during the day; so, that a parent would not feel the slightest worry which would distract one from work. All the above mentioned steps are likely to contribute to productivity of the company. Finally, one should pay attention to the role that a firm plays in the life of a person who is trying to maintain family work balance. It would not be a mistake to suggest that no company has an obligation to help one in doing so. In other words, a company is obliged to provide work as well as payment for this work. However, it may organize the work day in a way that would allow employees to spend sufficient time with their family and provide them with benefits that are necessary when the child is born. The law does not prevent the company to do so, but the market often shows that by doing so, the companies may not be using their financial assets in the most effective way. The significance of personal life is self evident; however, any company distances itself from it in order to prove its objectivity and make sure that all people are treated equally. Finally, the definition of social responsibility is extremely broad and any company might choose the way to interpret it so that it suits is moral code. In other words, this question is left at discretion of an organization. References Shaw, W., & Barry, V. (2015). Moral issues in business. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Read More