5 Best Places to Work for Parental Leave
Parental leave isn't just for mothers anymore. And providing parental leave isn't just for venture capital-flush startups anymore. In some cities, it's becoming the law for all employers. It seems like America finally might be catching up to the rest of the developed world when it comes to giving parents paid time off.
So who's leading the way? Here are five places (four employers and one city) that are giving their employee parents the most benefits:
1. Like Yahoo, Should You Extend Maternity Leave?
Yahoo was early to extend paid time off for both mothers and fathers, giving the former 16 weeks of paid leave and eight weeks for the latter. It was CEO Marissa Mayer's idea, even though she didn't take full advantage when she gave birth to twins last year -- the head of Yahoo announced she would take just 14 days off.
2. Spotify's Sweet Parental Leave Program
Streaming music giant Spotify is also a great place to work for new parents. Regardless of gender, employees can get up to six months off with 100 percent of their salary following the birth of a child. Perhaps it's Spotify's roots as a Swedish company that inspired the parental leave policy, which has to be music to the ears of new moms and dads.
3. Facebook's Zuckerberg Comments on Parental Leave
The Facebook CEO took two months off after the birth of his child in December 2015, saying, "Studies show that when working parents take time to be with their newborns, outcomes are better for the children and families." As a company, Facebook offers all full time employees four months of paid parental leave.
4. Etsy Fights Gender Bias With New Parental Leave Policy
The online pop-up shop platform recently announced its gender neutral policy of providing all employees with six months paid parental leave. Not only that, but the company is demanding that new parents take at least eight of their 26 available weeks immediately following their child's birth.
5. Does San Francisco's Fully Paid Parental Leave Law Signal National Change?
The City by the Bay became the first to mandate six weeks of paid time off for parents. At first, the mandate only applies to employers with 50 or more employees, but that number will drop to 20 by 2018. Just one more perk to living in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Parental leave policies -- although becoming more robust, and in some cases required -- are not one-size-fits-all. If you have questions about your paid leave laws or about setting up a paid parental leave policy at your small business, contact an experienced employment law attorney near you.
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Related Resources:
- Browse Employment Law -- Employer Lawyers by Location (FindLaw Directory)
- What's the Best Parental Leave Policy for Small Business? (FindLaw's Free Enterprise)
- Single Parents at Work: 3 Legal Facts for Employers (FindLaw's Free Enterprise)
- How State Law Changes Can Have a Big Impact on Your Business (FindLaw's Free Enterprise)