Find out more about how we’re supporting working parents at Nine.
Families@Nine is designed to support parents and caregivers at Nine. This initiative includes a range of benefits, and a parental leave policy that meets the needs of our employees and their families.
One of our values at Nine is “Keep It Human” – showing empathy, care, and looking after one another. Families are central to our lives and communities, so creating a supportive workplace for parents and caregivers is a priority.
Read on to find out about the updates and hear from parents at Nine about how they are benefiting from the policy.
What shaped the changes
We listened to feedback from employees through surveys and discussions with our Communities (ERG’s). We also looked at what other organisations are doing to support families and used that research to guide us.
The aim was to create an offering that recognises all kinds of families and the different parenting journeys they might have.
Features of our Parental Leave policy include:
Parental leave for all parents
Permanent employees are entitled to 18 weeks of paid parental leave, with no distinction between primary and secondary carers. This promotes shared caregiving and supports all parents equally.
“I am not just eligible but also encouraged to take time off to help and bond with my child. There wasn’t an arduous process to be able to get access to parental leave as a father which can be different elsewhere. My experience has been one of ease and support. This allowed me to just focus on wrapping up my work tasks before enjoying some bonding time with my son”
Mark Horgan
Senior Research Executive
“I was thrilled to see the removal of the distinction between primary and secondary carers. We know fathers want to be more active at home during this special time, and this change helps to support them in doing so and shifts the expectation on mothers to be the sole stay-at-home parent.” Julia Naughton – Head of Life SMH
No minimum tenure
All permanent employees are eligible for the policy, regardless of how long they have been employed by Nine.
Additional financial support
Parental leave can have a financial impact, especially for women. In addition to increasing paid parental leave to 18 weeks, we’ve taken extra steps to support our employees:
- Employees on leave continue to receive annual salary increases, commissions, bonuses, and incentives (where applicable).
- Nine continues paying superannuation contributions for the first 12 months of parental leave.
- The first 12 months of leave count toward continuous service for long service leave.
“It has allowed my family and I to remain financially comfortable while taking the time to bond with my newborn”
Davina Stait
Head of Research
Pre-Child Arrival Leave
Every parenting journey is different. Employees can access paid leave for fertility treatments, surrogacy, adoption, and fostering appointments.
Support for the unexpected
Life doesn’t always go as planned, and our policy includes different types of leave to help:
Unlimited pregnancy-related sick leave
Neonatal and postpartum care leave for when a child needs hospital care after birth
Preterm birth leave to cover the gap between an early birth (before 37 weeks) and the planned start of parental leave
“The additional entitlement of unlimited pregnancy-related sick leave, recognises the real challenges – physical and mental – of pregnancy”
Julia Naughton
Head of Life SMH
We’re continually seeing the positive impact our parental leave offering has for our parents at Nine.
