I really wish this had been more of a front-and-center issue when I had my kids. Child care costs almost wiped out my entire paycheck when my kids were little, especially when I had six weeks maternity leave before I had to return to work. Infant child care was hard to find and expensive when you found it. I was lucky, but others not so much.
Netflix has just expanded their family leave benefits without having to be told to, because they've discovered it's good business.
Netflix announced on Tuesday that it was starting an unlimited leave policy for new mothers and fathers for the first year after the birth or adoption of a child.
As part of the new maternity and paternity policy, employees will receive their normal pay. They will be able to return to work part time or full time, and they may also return to work and then take additional time off, if needed.
This policy far exceeds typical such leave at corporations in the United States, where there are few federal policies aimed at working parents. The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 provides employees at companies of a certain size 12 weeks of unpaid leave.
“Netflix’s continued success hinges on us competing for and keeping the most talented individuals in their field,” Tawni Cranz, chief talent officer at Netflix, said in a blog post on the company’s website.
