It’s fortunately unfortunate that the global pandemic wreaked havoc on our lives: it offered up perspective on what it is like for new parents to shutter their work windows for an unprecedented storm, before being tasked with rebuilding. People were forced to recognize the importance of family and where their true values lie, even during office hours. America is the world’s only developed country without guaranteed paid leave, and the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 only goes so far – granting job-protected leave to companies with 50 employees or more, which excludes many startups and mom and pop businesses. President Biden proposed the Biden-Harris American Families Plan, which, if passed, would provide 12 weeks of paid leave to all American workers in the next decade. In the meantime, more companies are developing internal initiatives for paid medical and family leave, in support of a healthier work environment.
It starts from the ground up: talk to your employees and your friends (and include the males, too). Confiding in your trusted circle will create a clear visual of what exactly you are looking for in a company policy or time off. Just because you don’t hear others talking about it doesn’t mean no one has felt your frustration. Companies like Netflix have established unlimited parental leave for its employees, a result of the employee appeal for flexibility. Facebook provides $4,000 to new parents (what they call “baby cash”). Microsoft begins parental leave two weeks before a baby’s due date. For the new moms who travel, IBM offers the option to ship their breast milk back home. These progressive changes weren’t just a fun suggestion, they were in response to critical needs.
The work doesn’t stop when someone takes time off. In planning ahead, you can delegate tasks and projects to a new team. Much of this will require constant communication and an open ear for questions. The more responsive a leader is to questions and suggestions, the more a culture of trust will evolve.
A paid family leave program can make the difference in employee morale, all while recruiting and retaining talent. For some, it can be the deciding factor in whether to take or leave a job, valuing the option over a promised pay raise. People have been lobbying for it for over 100 years, and it’s pretty simple – a universal right to close the door to your office and tend to family concerns without worrying about instability at work.
