Life at Allens
Pioneering flexibility: our enhanced parents package ticks all the boxes
We offer support for working parents and those with caring responsibilities. As a working parent at Allens, you'll have access to a modern parental leave policy to help you balance work and family.
A snapshot of Allens Australia parental leave package:
- A modern parental leave policy that removes the distinction between primary and non-primary carers, and allows employees to take leave at the same time as their partner.
- 26 weeks paid parental leave.
- Superannuation on the unpaid component of parental leave (up to a maximum of 26 weeks).
- Two years to access paid parental leave, and flexibility in the way it's structured.
- Personalised support through all stages of the parental leave journey, including 1:1 coaching with a specialist provider.
- A formal, temporary break from billable expectations for legal employees returning from mid to long-term parental leave.
- Eligibility for all permanent employees with no qualifying period to access the package.
Through our Australia parental leave package, we aim to have more men taking part in longer-term parental leave, normalise caring behaviour and responsibilities, and create visible role models.
When Senior Associate Jamie Guthrie approached his manager about taking some time off to care for his new son, Josh, he wasn't entirely sure how the request would be received.
'I was very nervous about taking leave, as social stigmas do still persist,' he said.
Thankfully, Jamie's leave was enthusiastically supported by his team, but he's still one of a minority of dads opting to take time out to share caring responsibilities. And Jamie thinks they're missing out.
'My experience taking leave has been fantastic and has had a profound effect on my relationship with my son,' Jamie said.
It's also helped to create a great foundation for sustainably balancing work and caring commitments with his wife.
'Because we have been able to share so much of the parenting load, my wife and I have become very confident in each other as parents. Ana doesn't feel the need to hover over me, and she trusts that I can care for Josh. This has, importantly, given her peace of mind and aided her in her transition back to work – it's something we hadn’t considered but that has been incredibly important.'
For Jamie, the changes are an important step forward in making parental leave more mainstream.
'My parental leave fundamentally impacted me as a person, parent and spouse. I'm always encouraging new dads to take the same opportunity – and I think these changes will make that more likely.'
Partner Valeska Bloch is a member of the IDC and recently returned from her second period of parental leave. She feels the changes are an important signal that the firm deeply values the contribution of parents and is serious about supporting sustainable career development for those caring for young children.
'In the past, I think, people have been worried that taking time out to care for a child would be a career-limiting move. I actually found it to be the opposite – parenting helped me build skills that I feel have made me a much better lawyer, leader and colleague,' she said.
'I hope this support will help more people see the upside – for them, their children, their partners, their teams and the firm – in embracing caring responsibilities, and learning ways to balance them with a fulfilling career.'