After Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced his two-month paternal leave when wife Priscilla Chan gives birth, a lot of tech giant are now establishing family-friendly policies that encourage both mothers and fathers to take time off work after a newborn.
Mr. Zuckerberg has made an exemplary move for working parents in the United States, according to CNN. It emphasizes the parenthood perks being offered by U.S. tech companies as well as the larger debate in corporate America regarding family-friendly policies. Facebook employees in the U.S. are allowed up to four months of paid parental leave, which they can take all at once or throughout the year.
These family-friendly policies serve two functions: They help attract employees, particularly younger ones, who are more interested in sharing parenting responsibilities and improving work-life balance. But they also make it possible for men to take the kind of leaves that could help improve the gender gap in both pay and leadership positions.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, only 12 percent of workers in the private sector are offered paid family leave by their employers. The department says paid parental leave encourages fathers to serve as caregivers.
Other tech companies such as Netflix and Spotify have offered a generous parental leave for their employee; even U.S. Navy did it as well, Yahoo reported.
Netflix's new unlimited year-long parental leave policy includes mother and fathers alike. Spotify offers its employees up to six months of parental leave with 100 percent pay as part of a global policy it says recognises the importance of “a healthy work-family balance.” The U.S. Navy recently announced its plans to increase paid maternity leave to 18 weeks.