Today, more and more companies are developing incredible paid maternity and paternity leave policies. And while it’s been more common to offer new mothers flexible policies and benefits, major companies are extending these to new fathers as well.
Fatherly, an online resource for fathers, surveyed major companies across the U.S. to uncover the top places to work for new dads. According to Fatherly, over the past two years, the average number of paid leave time for new fathers has jumped 275 percent -- from four to 11.4 weeks. In fact, more than half of surveyed companies today offer new fathers six to eight weeks of paid parental leave.
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Out of all industries, Silicon Valley tech companies continue to spearhead the movement toward more flexible parental leave policies. Not only that, but many companies are beginning to offer new parents special perks such as on- and off-site child care. Forty-five percent of the top 50 places to work for new dads offer a child care subsidy, assisting new parents in paying for child care programs.
So which companies are at the forefront of supporting new fathers? For the second year in a row, Netflix takes the cake for number-one best place to work as a new dad, offering parents up to 52 weeks of paid time off. However, companies such as Etsy and Facebook are not far behind. One company even made the jump from 50th on the list to 10th.
From American Express to Patagonia -- a range of new companies made Fatherly’s 2017 list for best places to work as a new father. Here are the top 10.
Netflix offers parents up to an entire year of paid time off. It also provides its employees with flexible benefits, allowing them to work full time, part time or go in as needed. Not only that, but the video subscription service also lets employees with newborns work at home or in the office.
Etsy offers “gender-blind” paid leave to fathers and mothers of 26 weeks. To take advantage of the policy, new parents must take a continuous eight weeks off, and the remaining 18 weeks can be spread out over the following two years of a child’s birth. The company also has a dedicated parents’ room in its Brooklyn headquarters.
To its 21,000-plus employees in the U.S., American Express offers up to 20 weeks of paid parental leave. However, the company goes above and beyond when it comes to supporting its new parents. For example, Amex offers up to $35,000 in medical assistance to employees who adopt, use a surrogate or undergo fertility treatments. The company also awards one employee with a “Caregiver of the Year Award.”
Despite falling from second to fourth place in the past year, Spotify continues to offer its employees strong parental leave policies. In fact, the company allows its employees to take up to 24 weeks of paid leave, and the parents can space it out however they wish over three years after a child’s birth.
Spotify also helps its parents transition back into the workplace with its “Welcome Back Program” that offers flexible work hours and telecommuting options. More specifically to fathers, the company has an internal group called “Focus on Fatherhood” that plans events and activities for fathers in the office.
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As a father himself, it’s no wonder CEO Mark Zuckerberg makes parenting a priority at Facebook. In fact, Zuckerberg took two months off after his daughter was born. However, he could have taken even more -- Facebook offers 17 weeks of paid parental leave to new parents. And it gets better -- the social media network offers to pay for necessities such as diapers, offers up to $20,000 in medical assistance in fertility or surrogacy and even encourages parents to take off when their child is sick at home with a short-term illness like the flu. The company also has an online meetup space called Dads@Facebook to promote support among fathers at the company.
Just this year, Twitter expanded its paid parental leave policy from 10 to 20 weeks. It also has “Dads on Leave” discussion forums to help fathers adapt back to work after returning from parental leave.
VMware, a subsidiary of Dell, lets the new parents among its 9,500-plus employees take up to 18 weeks of paid leave. And to congratulate these new parents, it gives them each a $250 “Welcome Baby Gift.” The company also provides up to $5,000 in medical assistance for adoption or surrogacy, with a lifetime limit of $10,000 per employee.
As one of the largest companies in the U.S., Bank of America offers 16 weeks of paid parental leave to its 200,000-plus employees. New parents get a “New Parent Welcome Kit” from the company, as well as free financial planning services. Parents also get 25 back up days for last-minute child care needs, and an additional 25 days of adult care for when a nanny or caregiver is unavailable at the last minute.
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The outdoor retail brand Patagonia offers its new parents 12 weeks of paid time off, and an on-site child care program. New fathers are allowed to take their 12 weeks whenever they please as well, so they can schedule accordingly with their partner. Not only that, but if a mother or father has to travel for business, they are allowed to bring a child care professional with them for assistance.
Over the past year, Deloitte has improved its parental leave policies, ultimately changing its ranking from 50 to 10 over the past year. The company offers new parents 16 weeks of paid leave, in addition to offering to pay for child care programs and letting kids accompany their parents on business trips.
