Facebook makes paid time off for baby leave a global benefit

SAN FRANCISCO - Less than a week after Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said he would take two months of paternity leave, the social media company announced it is extending its parental leave policy to full-time employees outside the United States.

The policy, which provides four months of paid time off, will be provided to all new parents regardless of gender or location, starting Jan. 1. Employees may take leave at any point up to a year after the birth of their child, Lori Matloff Goler, the company's head of human resources, said in a Facebook post late Wednesday.

Facebook currently offers only U.S.-based workers up to four months of paid leave.

"We want to be there for our people at all stages of life, and in particular we strive to be a leading place to work for families," she added. "An important part of this is offering paid parental or 'baby' leave."

Goler said the new policy will primarily help new fathers and employees in same-sex relationships outside the United States, noting that it will not change maternity leave already available to employees worldwide.

Zuckerberg last week said he would take two months off after his daughter's birth. Zuckerberg announced in July that he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, were expecting a baby girl; they have not said when the baby is due.

His announcement was seen in Silicon Valley as a strong endorsement from a high-technology industry top executive on the importance of family time.

Technology companies in Silicon Valley have been rushing to extend parental leave allowances and other benefits to help recruit and retain employees.

Many high-tech workers, however, do not take advantage of such benefits for fear of falling behind at work or missing out on promotions.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Microsoft boosts parental leave, on heels of Netflix

SAN FRANCISCO, United States - Microsoft on Wednesday announced an expanded parental leave policy for its US-based employees, a day after a similar move by streaming television giant Netflix.

The tech giant said that from November 1, it would offer full pay for 12 weeks to new mothers and fathers, plus eight additional weeks of maternity disability, bringing the total for mothers to 20 weeks.

Until now, Microsoft had offered four weeks paid and eight weeks unpaid time off for new parents in addition to maternity disability.

"When I look at how rapidly the traditional workplace is changing, not just at Microsoft, but throughout business in general, I see a tremendous opportunity for companies to put a stake in the ground around what they believe in and what kind of culture they want to build together with employees," Microsoft vice president for human resources Kathleen Hogan said in a blog post.

"As we ask our employees to bring their 'A' game to work every day to achieve our mission, we believe it's our responsibility to create an environment where people can do their best work. A key component of this is supporting our employees with benefits that matter most to them."

Microsoft said it was adding two new paid holidays, Martin Luther King Day in January and Presidents' Day in February, bringing the total to 12, including two floating holidays. It also is boosting the company contribution for its retirement saving plan, known as a 401k.

The new policy affects some 60,000 US-based Microsoft employees. Hogan said that outside the United States, "we will continue to review what's offered in each country and work to align to our global benefits philosophy and the local regulations and dynamics in each market."

The move comes a day after Netflix announced it is offering up to one year of paid parental leave to both male and female employees after the birth of a child.

Netflix said the move was aimed at boosting job satisfaction and retaining top talent.

"We want employees to have the flexibility and confidence to balance the needs of their growing families without worrying about work or finances," Tawni Cranz from Netflix said late Tuesday.

"Parents can return part-time, full-time, or return and then go back out as needed. We'll just keep paying them normally," Cranz said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com