In 2015, Netflix announced it would begin offering unlimited maternity or paternity leave during the first year after their child’s birth or adoption. Their parental policies mark some of the most progressive for U.S. companies. While most businesses aren’t going to quite that length, many are re-examining policies to improve their support for new parents.
We caught up with two Austin tech companies to learn more about how their policies make it a little easier for parents to do just that: parent.
Alicia Dixon, Main Street Hub’s VP of People, shared the details behind their benefits package, which includes a cash bonus, paid leave for moms and dads, and free teladoc services.
What do your parental leave/pre-arrival leave policies entail?
Main Street Hub offers gender-neutral, six-week paid leave for birth or adoption and $250 in cash that we call “baby bonding bucks” that we give to employees to help with food delivery, baby gear, or anything else to make the first months of parenthood a little easier. Employees also receive a handwritten note and a onesie with the Main Street Hub logo from our executive team.
Why did your team develop these policies?
We are dedicated to attracting and retaining the right people. Helping our customers succeed is everything. It is integral to create a diverse and inclusive workplace, and to do that and attract and retain the right people, we want to have a progressive overall compensation and leave package.
How else does your company accommodate parents?
We accommodate parents by offering flexibility upon their return to work after leave, a free Teladoc service, a free Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and a Health Advocacy Program, which gives new moms and dads 24/7 access to highly-trained registered nurses. All Hubsters have free access to healthcare advice at any time, so whether it's advice about a child's fever at midnight or evaluation and direction to appropriate care, Main Street Hub moms and dads have access to free, around-the-clock support and reassurance.
"Generous parental leave makes it clear, in the big scheme of things, what's truly important: family and being there for them,” said CPO Mike Georgoff. “Personally, not only was it invaluable to get to bond with my little guy (even though he didn't do much early on), but it was also important from a gender equality perspective. My wife has a successful full-time career and having time out for dad (in addition to mom) really allowed us to figure out how to handle parenting equally, and not default to putting it all on mom."
What resources do you have on-site for new mothers?
In each of our offices in Austin and NYC, we have fully-outfitted, private mother’s rooms complete with comfortable accommodations and a fridge.
How does having strong parental policies and services enhance the company overall?
We are able to retain the valued expertise, skills, and perspective of employees who are parents and attract an engaged workforce.
“Making the decision to become a new, working parent is not easy, but knowing that I work for an employer who supports work-life balance, women and diversity in the workplace made it a lot less stressful for me,” said HR Generalist Erin Stanley. “Working for Main Street Hub, I feel motivated, inspired and encouraged to be at the top of my game every day. With the perks and resources we have in place here, I feel incredibly supported by the fact that those things won’t change with this next phase of life. Six weeks of paid leave, in addition to the cash bonus, is pretty much unheard of. Plus, Main Street Hub offers solid Short Term Disability coverage for the remainder of the time I’ll be out...I’m thankful for the thought and care Main Street Hub has invested in its working parents!”
RetailMeNot’s team offers modern parental policies to help support their working moms and dads. Part of their program includes allowing team members to work a reduced schedule with full pay upon their return from parental leave.
What do your parental leave/pre-arrival leave policies entail?
At RetailMeNot, we have policies in place to help with the adjustment to parenthood. When a child joins the family, primary caregivers can be granted up to 16 weeks of paid parental leave and non-primary caregivers can take four weeks of paid leave.
New parents also receive a generous baby bonus to offset the costs of raising a child. To help with adjusting to a post-leave routine, upon returning to work team members can work a reduced schedule (75 percent time) with full pay. Additionally, our wellness team has secured discounts for local childcare facilities and offers assistance in subsidizing the cost of finding childcare.
How did your team develop these policies?
Our core values led us to develop a program that supports and encourages our new parents. After research on what programs work best in today’s environment, we worked closely with our leadership team to design a plan to allows ample time for adjustment to parenthood and eliminates some of the major stressors, including finances and balancing work-life time.
How else does your company accommodate parents? What resources do you have on-site for new mothers?
In our office, we have two private Mother’s Rooms appointed with cozy furnishings, cubbies and refrigerators for storage. We value work-life balance and offer flexibility in work schedules as needed to accommodate children’s needs including pickup/dropoff, performances, and any appointments necessary. We also provide several options for medical coverage so parents can make the best choice for their family.
How does having strong parental policies and services enhance the company overall?
We believe that policies like this are not only the right thing to do, they help create a happier staff with better business outcomes.
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