Let's look at some of the dream companies for maternity leaves. These companies are being chosen based on three criteria: weeks of paid maternity leave, extra allowances and paternity support.
1. Netflix
The TV and movie streaming giant was one of the first companies to announce a new and improved plan for their employees. Their policy allows full-time workers to receive up to a full year (52 weeks) of paid time off when they become parents.
The policy applies to both new mothers and fathers, and employees can take time off, return to work, and then take more time off within that year if needed.
2. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Gates Foundation has given its employees up to 52 continuous weeks of paid time off during the first year of their child's birth or adoption placement. Additionally, employees are offered up to 13 weeks of paid time off to care for their own health or a sick family member.
3. Accenture
Mothers as well as fathers and those who are adopting are offered 36 weeks maternity leave with full pay at the consulting firm.
4. Etsy
The company introduced 26 week paid parental leave benefit, which includes biological, adoptive, and surrogate parents of both genders. The time can be taken over the two years following the birth or adoption of a child, although the first 8 weeks must be taken consecutively following the birth or adoption.
5. Aviva
The insurance firm announced that it will offer its employees 26 weeks leave on full basic pay, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation, or whether they’ve given birth, adopted or surrogacy.
6. Dell
Dell offers new moms 26 consecutive weeks paid leave plus 16 consecutive weeks additional unpaid maternity leave. Also, Dell parents have 24/7 access to a trained labor and delivery nurse hotline, on-site lactation rooms, lactation support services, childcare resources and referral services, adoption assistance and reimbursement, backup child care, elder care services, reimbursement for fertility treatments, and health benefits extended to domestic partners.
7. Spotify
The music streaming company provides both moms and dads with 26 weeks of paid parental leave, which can be taken over a period of three years.
8. Adobe
At Adobe, birth mothers receive up to 26 weeks of paid leave if they are the primary caregiver, and all other parents get 16 weeks of paid leave.
9. Lenovo
New mothers in the U.S. receive 24 weeks of paid maternity leave, in addition to seven weeks of paid leave for new dads. The organization works with facilities to ensure on-site accommodations for ‘Expectant Mother’ parking and private nursing rooms available to new moms as they return to office. Lenovo also provides flexible ‘work from home’ opportunities to all eligible employees.
10. Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
Orrick allows primary caregivers to take 22 weeks of paid parental leave and an additional nine months of unpaid leave. The law firm also offers and "onramping" period. For the first month after lawyers return from primary caregiver parental leave, they can take on half of their usual workload and still receive full pay, plus set a predictable schedule in which they work no more than six hours in any given day.