Just wrote our org’s paid leave policy

[Anonymous]

Great!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:* Gender-neutral paid leave for new parents of new children (includes biological, adopted and foster)
* Six months total: 3 months fully paid, 3 months of partially paid leave or return to work for 3 months part-time with full-time pay
* Same for medical leave
* 1 month caregiving leave

We’re a small org (less than 50 people), but they’re very serious about diversifying their staff and especially leadership and I told them
this is how you do it.

I wonder if you’re going to get the result you want. I think there’s a segment of the workforce that will like this but I don’t see it as universal by any means and I think a lot of people are going to resent it. I also think it’s going to be tough for a small organization to actually provide this.

Hey look, OP - an added benefit to your policy! You can easily identify those that are going to be crappy, resentful co-workers and not hire them in the first place. Win-win!

No. Best not to hire women under age 50.

I'm sure a lot of misogynistic morons would love that, but it turns out that we are highly qualified, educated, smart and work our asses off. Kind of gets in the way.

You forgot entitled and you do not work off anything except your mouths.

Glad to see I hit a nerve.

[Anonymous]

It’s OP. My last kiddo is 15 mos, so I don’t check this side of the forum much and forgot I shared this.

A few things:
* Reaction to this has been extremely positive (there is an anonymous place for people to give feedback to our policies)
* I’m a c-level executive and WOC, and yes, this policy is now in place
* We have minimum staffing ratios, with a plan in place to ensure staffing needs are met
* We actually have been thinking about a sabbatical benefit, ex: after you’re at the org for # years you qualify for # months (unless you’ve already taken paid leave within previous X year period)
* We have a very strong policy in place to promote diversity recruitment
* People are our greatest asset; we view this as investing in our long-term future
* It’s hard not to get annoyed at people in this thread who shit on something like this that is meant to be supportive of the reality that most people have families or get sick at some point in their lives. But then I remember people get angry because we’ve been conditioned to think that if you get something, that means there’s less for me. It doesn’t have to be that way. I believe we can create a work environment that is supportive of all our employees.

[Anonymous]

OP again: I forgot to mention that I am done with having children. This really was written with our employees in mind, not me.

[Anonymous]

Does your company not gave an STD on LTD policy? Cant you tweak those policies to be a but generalized so birth, recovery, postpartum is included?
Pretty much FMLA.

[Anonymous]

What is an employee has a baby every year? This happens more frequently than you think.

[Anonymous]

It’s only a matter of time before some employees start abusing this policy (which they will) and it gets reduced or retracted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Amazing. I would add in that people need to stay for 2 years after returning to work or they have to give back the money. Similar to tuition benefits.

Agree with this. I know a lot of people who have taken their paid maternity leave and then bailed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is an employee has a baby every year? This happens more frequently than you think.

But is it going to happen two to three years in a row? Or is it happening 4-6 years in a row. Realistically, I figure a working woman who has a baby a year for 2-3 years has spent at least a decade focusing on her career and is highly qualified, but has a short window to have babies. I doubt anyone is working FT with 5 under 5.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is an employee has a baby every year? This happens more frequently than you think.

But is it going to happen two to three years in a row? Or is it happening 4-6 years in a row. Realistically, I figure a working woman who has a baby a year for 2-3 years has spent at least a decade focusing on her career and is highly qualified, but has a short window to have babies. I doubt anyone is working FT with 5 under 5.

What difference does it make if she's 30 or 40,? Having all this free, paid time off is an incentive for some women to keep having babies, adopting, or fostering!

OO, I have a small business and, originally, I had a policy of 4 months, 16 working weeks, of paid maternity leave and three employees took this benefit and then can back for one month and then quit. Another one had three pregnancies in as many consecutive years. I abolished this benefit. You will be screwed by selfish, entitled, wimen and, your office, will cease this benefit.

[Anonymous]

What is the projected budget impact, and how are you covering the costs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Amazing. I would add in that people need to stay for 2 years after returning to work or they have to give back the money. Similar to tuition benefits.

Agree with this. I know a lot of people who have taken their paid maternity leave and then bailed.

This is problematic if you think of the leave as something that you give people in exchange for the work they're GOING to do. Conversely, what if you think of it as something that people earn as they work? Maybe you don't qualify for this policy until you've worked there for 6 months.

[Anonymous]

OP again. Wow, the internalized misogyny is rampant.

Why, pray tell, isn’t anyone worried about “men” so-called “abusing” this benefit?

I’m not worried about anyone abusing this policy because no one goes out and has a baby just to take advantage of an HR policy. People work for us because they’re committed to the work and our mission. (Think feel-good work with tech skills.) But if we don’t make our workplace conducive to supporting a family, talented and irreplaceable people will leave when it’s time for them to start one (or if they get sick).

This might not work out for every organization. It certainly would be more within reach for many if more states passed state paid and medical leave insurance laws. But as I said before, we view is as investing in our insanely talented workforce.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does your company not gave an STD on LTD policy? Cant you tweak those policies to be a but generalized so birth, recovery, postpartum is included?
Pretty much FMLA.

These are two different things. FMLA is unpaid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why should you get full-time pay for working part-time after you’ve already gotten 3 months off paid? No need to be greedy. Goodness.

Imagine better for yourself and your country. Goodness.