Relationships March 29, 2017
When you imagine having your first child, what images pop into your mind? A fashionably decorated nursery? What about your mom’s face when she sees her grandchild for the first time? Most likely, you aren’t thinking about going back to work ASAP…but, since 88 percent of American women don’t receive paid parental leave, that’s a reality for far too many new moms.
RELATED: How to Plan Ahead for Maternity Leave
How can you make sure you’ll have time to bond with your baby without losing your position at work? Find a company with great parental leave policies. To learn more about parental leave, ENTITY talked with Lauren Wallenstein, founder of Milk Your Benefits, a consulting business that helps new parents “milk” their parental leave benefits.
If you’re looking for a company to give you the most bang for your buck in terms of parental leave, here are 11 stellar options!
You may know Etsy as your favorite online store for vintage and handmade goods, but Etsy is also a superstar when it comes to parental leave.
In 2016, Etsy announced that new moms and dads would receive over six months (yes you read that right – over half a year) of paid parental leave. In fact, all parents – regardless of whether they’re giving birth, using a surrogate or adopting a child – get 26 weeks of paid leave. Eight of those weeks must be taken continuously within the first six months of the child’s birth or arrival. The rest can be spaced out within the first two years.
Etsy also announced that it would be actively educating its managers on how to “avoid workplace bias against mothers and fathers” and how to help expectant parents plan their leave. This education is especially significant considering that Wallenstein has seen “legions of employees who were not being properly advised prior to their leaves – in some cases, deliberately.”
RELATED: Why Subtle Sexism Towards Working Women Needs to End
Amazon’s history of workplace conditions isn’t spotless, with a 2015 New York Times article uncovering ridiculously high standards for workers and even sabotage between co-workers.
Less than three months after The New York Times article came out, though, Jezebel reported that the company would start offering paid parental leave. Birth mothers now receive 20 weeks of paid leave while fathers and adoptive parents get six weeks. Amazon employees can also share six weeks of their leave with their spouses or partners, who may not receive paid leave from their employers.
Via Reddit
It’s important to know, however, that these benefits only apply to employees with salaries and who have been working at Amazon for over a year.
Have you ever wished you could spend as much time with your child as physically possible – even while working? Netflix’s parental leave program could make that happen. As of 2015, Netflix employees can take an unlimited (paid!) parental leave during the first year a child is born or adopted.
RELATED: How to Support Your Coworker Before She Goes on Maternity Leave
Not only do the parents receive their full salaries and regular benefits, but they also don’t have to file disability or other state coverage. During leave, parents can stay at work full time, stay at home full time, work part-time or a mix of all of the above. If you’re looking for flexibility, it’s hard to beat Netflix’s leave policy – though critics point out that employees would probably have to work out the dates ahead-of-time to avoid endangering big projects or deadlines.
In 2007, Alphabet/Google increased their maternity leave from 12 weeks to 18 and doubled their retention rate of new mothers in the process. The 18 weeks only applies to birth mothers; and if birth mothers experience complications, they receive an additional four weeks.
Primary caregivers (including adoptive parents and surrogates) receive 12 paid weeks of “baby bonding” leave while non-primary caregivers get seven paid weeks. In addition to their leave policies, Google has onsite child care and “mother’s rooms.” Families also receive $500 of “baby bonding bucks.”
DLA Piper is a global law firm and, if you’re one of the 2,100 people who work there, you’ll have a wide variety of parental leave benefits. First of all, DLA gives all parents and primary caregivers 22 weeks of paid parental leave. It also offers working parents the opportunity to share 50 weeks of leave between the two of them during their child’s first year, according to Employee Benefits.
RELATED: Baby Fever Signs: How To Know When It’s The Right Time
Facebook offers all parents regardless of sex or biological parentage 17 weeks of paid parental leave. Facebook was one of the first companies to implement such a progressive leave policy. In an interview with Business Insider, Head of Human Resources Lori Goler said that Facebook was creating a new social norm by allowing all parents to take time off and prioritize family.
Via Mother Jones
For Wallenstein, parental policies like Facebook’s reflect that issues related to work/life balance are “now on the radar” and that “employers are much more aware of the fact that new parents want scheduling flexibility and as much income as possible during their leaves.”
Reddit, like Facebook, was an early adopter of the paid parental leave trend. It gives 17 paid weeks to all mothers, fathers and adoptive or surrogate parents.
RELATED: A Mom’s Guide to Kickin’ Butt at Work After Maternity Leave
In fact, Reddit is tied with Facebook and Instagram (as of 2013) for having one of the longest leave policies in the tech industry, which is especially known for its flexible parental leave policies.
As of April 2016, Bank of America made their parental leave policies even more generous. The company now offers 16 weeks paid leave – and this applies equally to men, women and adoptive parents. Couples can take the leave together or take their leaves sequentially, which would extend the amount of time a child gets to spend with his/her parents overall. Parents can also choose to take their leave at any time during the child’s first year after birth or adoption.
Leave policies like Bank of America’s – which offer “additional income and/or time off during leave beyond what you get from [the federal Family and Medical Leave Act or your state’s additional legal requirements] – is what you should look out for,” according to Wallenstein.
Legos may be for kids, but their parental leave policies will make any parent smile. On average, Lego Systems gives new mothers 13 fully paid weeks off, though they can take up to 26 partially paid weeks of leave overall – whether they’re giving birth or adopting a child. On the down side, new dads typically only receive around 2 weeks of fully paid leave while adoptive parents can get only 6 weeks paid leave.
Via Reddit
Lego employees can take advantage of backup childcare, though, and Lego offers a variety of flexible work arrangements. According to Working Mother, 75 percent of employees telecommuted in 2016 and 90 percent of employees used “flextime,” or used a flexible work hours schedule so that they could alter their start and finish times.
RELATED: How Working Remotely Helps Moms Keep Rockin’ Their Careers
L’Oréal may have offices in 67 countries all over the globe, but it ensures that all of its employees have a few basic parental leave rights, including a minimum of 14 paid weeks of maternity leave and three days of paid paternity leave. In the U.S., new fathers receive at least ten days of fully-paid leave.
If you’re adopting, you can also expect two weeks (on average) of paid leave.
MasterCard only offers 8 weeks of paid parental leave, but this is given to each employee, regardless of the worker’s gender or the child’s biological parentage. Birth mothers do receive an extra 8 weeks of paid leave, however.
RELATED: What Do Parental Leave Policies at the U.S.’s Largest Companies Look Like?
In 2016, Mastercard’s CEO and President Ajay Banga also discussed allowing employees to initially transition back to work with half days, and even suggested letting parents bring their children to the office. MasterCard is also unique in that its benefits extend to new hires and anyone working at least 76 hours a month.
Whether you are a single twenty-something or have been happily married for years, Wallenstein says it’s rarely too early to consider a job’s parental leave benefits. “Every person who is considering having children within five years should be concerned about their prospective employer’s leave policies,” she explains, “Even if you think children are far off, you’d be surprised how fast time can catch up with you.”
Via Reddit
True, the U.S. may be the only industrialized nation without paid parental leave, which can make being at the right workplace at the right time to have a baby even more difficult. However, with some thorough research and an awareness of your rights and worth, you can make sure you’re not a victim of America’s lacking parental leave policies.
And if you want a workplace that knows the value of giving its employees plenty of family-bonding time, these 11 companies are a solid place to start!
