Dive Brief:
- Outreach, a Seattle-based startup, has unveiled a new benefits package for employees who become parents. The package extends paid time off for both expectant mothers and fathers, with a few extras.
- For up to eight weeks after parents return, the company will provide a company-paid night nurse as well as free dinner delivery two nights per week. New moms will be eligible for two weeks of pre-delivery paid leave as well as 10 weeks of post-delivery paid leave, while new dads can take a flexible two weeks paid time off.
- Citing research that shows 43% of women take a "career pause" after having a child, the company will implement a modified return to work program that lets workers to split their time 50/50 working from both home and office. CEO Manny Medina says the new program seeks to allow employees to enjoy this new moment in their lives without sacrificing their career goals.
Dive Insight:
Finding creative ways to tackle parental benefits is a modern challenge for many employers who are trying to balance the very real upfront cost of such programs with the long-term benefits of allowing flexibility for parent employees. This example involves benefits that few programs have advertised so far, but they are likely to address some of the real concerns employees have when entering a new phase of their life.
While paid leave is still a benefit employers of all sizes are deciding on, employee flexibility has also emerged as a long-term, affordable solution to accommodate parents. Since parental leave laws remain an unknown on Capitol Hill, private employers are still facing the brunt of responsibility, for better or worse, for deciding how their programs will function.
