It is hard to believe that many companies still are not progressive enough to offer maternity packages for their employees.

Now Leo Varadkar has spoken out about maternity policies in Irish companies. The Social Protection Minister said that while the Government would not be forcing companies to pay women full pay or top up their welfare benefits, they are encouraging employers to be "as generous as possible" according to the Irish Times Currently, the rate of maternity benefit paid by the state is €235 per week – or more than €1,000 a month – and is payable for up to 26 weeks following the birth of a baby. Speaking at a Facebook event to mark Mother's day, the Minister said offering generous packages like Facebook has for its employees is the right thing to do. “Its policies for mothers are enlightened, with up to 26 weeks of paid maternity leave and another 14 weeks of optional unpaid maternity leave, plus baby cash and in-house parenting programmes.

“Not only is it the right thing to do to treat mothers well in the workplace, but Ireland also needs to be competitive internationally. If we want to retain our staff, and attract talent from abroad, it’s important that our workplaces are welcoming places for families.”

Take note employers!