Dads Change Diapers Too: 13 Companies That Offer Paid Paternity Leave
Move over, maternity leave.
Employers have long offered unpaid time off for mothers to care for their newborn children, thanks to the Family and Medical Leave Act. Many have begun offering paid maternity leave, as well.
But it’s only recently that some major companies have started offering that same option to working dads, paying both parents for their time away.
Still, only 12% of workers get paid family leave through their employers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Here are 13 companies that offer at least six weeks of paid leave to new dads. (Some of them offer a full year!)
1. Netflix
The media company offers varying amounts of paid parental leave to employees.
Hourly workers in its DVD-by-mail division get up to 12 weeks of paid leave, while hourly workers in the streaming division get up to 16 weeks. Customer service employees get up to 14 weeks.
Salaried workers can take unlimited paid leave for the first year after a child’s birth or adoption.
2. Amazon
Though its policy still favors new mothers — they get up to 20 weeks of paid leave — Amazon began offering all workers (here’s looking at you, dads) up to six weeks of paid parental leave.
All full-time salaried employees can take advantage of the paid parental leave.
3. Asana
This tech company founded by ex-Facebookers Dustin Moskovitz and Justin Rosenstein offers 16 weeks of paid leave for all new parents.
The leave must be taken within the first year following a child’s birth or adoption. The company also offers flexible working hours when you return from that paid time off.
4. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The 1,400 workers at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation get a whopping 52 weeks — one whole year — of paid parental leave. Mothers and fathers of biological or adopted children qualify.
“This will enable parents to participate more fully in their children’s lives, while also allowing them the flexibility and financial certainty to meet the needs of their growing families,” said Steven Rice, the foundation’s chief human resources officer, in a statement.
5. Etsy
In April, the peer-to-peer e-commerce website began offering all employees 26 weeks (read: six months) of paid leave when they become parents through birth or adoption.
Employees can take the paid leave anytime during the two years after they become parents, though they must take at least eight weeks continuously during the first six months.
“We designed our new parental leave policy to be flexible, gender-blind and to counteract unconscious bias,” wrote Julia Gorman, director of culture and engagement, in a blog post.
“We want to support and enable parents, regardless of their gender, to play equal roles in building successful companies and nurturing their families.”
6. Pandora
The music streaming company offers all employees up to 12 weeks off, with pay, to care for a new baby. That’s in addition to some other pretty cool perks, like 40 hours of paid time off per year to volunteer.
“At Pandora I don’t have to be apologetic for being a parent,” Mike Olson, vice president and head of music maker strategy and operations, told The Muse.
“Instead, I’m actually validated and embraced for that part of my life.”
7. Twitter
The social media company offers all U.S. employees — moms and dads — up to 20 weeks of paid time off to care for a new baby.
Before that, birth mothers could take up to 20 weeks of paid leave, but dads and adoptive parents could only take 10 weeks off.
The new policy went into effect May 1. It will go into effect worldwide before the end of this summer, reaching all 3,800 Twitter employees.
“We’re removing traditional gender and family stereotypes by extending our leave benefits to all parents, no matter the form parenthood takes,” Jeffrey Siminoff, the company’s vice president of inclusion and diversity, told Business Insider in April.
8. Johnson & Johnson
The company that produces pain relievers, mouthwash and baby oil offers its 128,000 workers up to eight weeks of paid leave during the first year after a child’s birth or adoption.
The policy applies to all new parents, including dads and adoptive parents.
9. Adobe
The software company offers up to 16 weeks of paid time off for new moms and dads to spend time bonding with their children. The policy extends to workers who became parents via childbirth, surrogacy, adoption or the foster system.
“Our employees are our intellectual property and our future,” Donna Morris, Adobe executive vice president for customer and employee experience, wrote in a blog post announcing the policy update in 2015.
“Now we will better support all of them, across a spectrum of age, gender and experience, with a diverse mix of family needs and situations.”
10. Toms Shoes
After Toms Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie took time off to help his wife care for their new baby, he instituted a company-wide parental leave policy that gives new parents — including dads — up to eight weeks of paid time off.
Employees have a flexible work schedule waiting for them when they get back, too, according to Mycoskie.
“Frankly, it’s nuts that more companies haven’t figured out what a win-win paid family leave is,“ he wrote for Glamour.
11. Change.org
The petition website offers 18 weeks of paid parental leave to all employees who become parents.
“Giving people unpaid leave only solves half the problem,” Jennifer Dulski, the company’s president and chief operating officer, told CNN. “Our goal was to create a generous and equal leave policy that supported all parents.”
12. Apple
The California-based tech company offers non-birth parents (dads and adoptive parents) six weeks of paid parental leave.
All full-time, U.S. Apple employees are eligible for this leave, which the company began offering in October 2014.
13. Facebook
The social media giant offers 16 weeks of paid parental leave for all of its employees, “no matter their gender or where in the world they live,” according to Lori Goler, vice president of human resources and recruiting at Facebook.
The leave can be taken at any point up to a year after the child’s birth or adoption.
“For too long, paid baby leave has been granted only to a mother who is giving birth. We believe that fathers and mothers alike deserve the same level of support when they are starting and growing a family, regardless of how they define family,” she wrote in a Facebook post that garnered more than 2,300 “likes.”
Does Your Company Offer Paid Parental Leave?
Not everyone is fortunate enough to have access to paid parental leave in the United States, so if you’re planning on having a baby soon and this isn’t a perk your job offers, we’ve got some suggestions to help you get ready to take time off.
You can also read how one blogger used a budget to help her prepare for her maternity leave, which helped her make the transition to mommyhood without major financial stress.
And once your bundle of joy is here, we’ve got 31 ways to help you save money on diapers, clothes and more.
Your Turn: How important is paid parental leave in your job search?
Sarah Kuta is an education reporter in Boulder, Colorado, with a penchant for weekend thrifting, furniture refurbishment and good deals. Find her on Twitter: @sarahkuta.
