9 Companies With Incredible Parental Benefits

Implementing federal paid family leave is currently one of the top priorities for Democrats, but as it stands, no such leave exists in the U.S. America is the only economically developed country without any federally mandated paid maternity, paternity or parental leave — many other developed countries offer between 12 and 58 weeks of maternity leave.

Career: 

Without any federal mandates in place, many private companies have taken it upon themselves to offer parental benefits, though only a select few offer benefits that go beyond the (somewhat) standard 12 weeks of leave. If you’re looking to expand your family or currently have kids, you may want to consider working at one of these companies that offer incredible parental benefits.

• Full health and welfare benefits for parents who work 20 hours a week

The Arnold & Porter law firm, which has offices around the U.S. and Europe, wants parents on staff to have a positive work-life balance. That’s why the firm allows any lawyers and staff members to retain full health and welfare benefits even if they only work 20 hours a week. Arnold & Porter also offers an on-site child care center at its Washington, D.C., office, backup child care at all U.S. offices, flex-time work schedules that allow employees to get home early and up to 18 weeks of paid parental leave.

• Lactation counseling

According to a 2016 press release, accounting firm Ernst & Young offers several programs to help new parents, including a Lactation Program that provides lactation consultation and supplies at no cost, Career and Family Transitions Coaching to help new parents adjust to returning to work, and parent support groups. The company also offers up to 16 weeks of paid parental leave.

• Breast milk delivery services when traveling for work

If you’re a nursing mother who has to leave on a work trip, Johnson & Johnson will cover the cost to ship breast milk back home through a temperature-controlled shipping service. The company also offers up to 17 weeks of paid parental leave, and child care centers and discounts.

• Coverage for three cycles of fertility treatments

In addition to paid parental leave, LinkedIn offers fertility and adoption assistance — the company will cover three Smart Cycles for fertility treatments, including two years of cryopreservation egg storage, $10,000 for adoption assistance and up to $20,000 to cover eligible expenses associated with surrogacy, Parade reported. Employees are also provided with 10 days of backup child, adult or elder care, on top of being reimbursed up to $2,000 for child care expenses.

• Unlimited paid parental leave during the first year

In 2015, Netflix announced that it would offer unlimited maternity and paternity leave during the first year after a child’s birth or adoption.

“We want employees to have the flexibility and confidence to balance the needs of their growing families without worrying about work or finances,” Netflix’s then-chief talent officer Tawni Cranz said in a press release. “This new policy, combined with our unlimited time off, allows employees to be supported during the changes in their lives and return to work more focused and dedicated.” 

• Pays for nannies to accompany parents on work trips

Outdoor apparel brand Patagonia has a long list of parental perks, including 12 to 16 weeks paid parental leave, on-site child care and 12 weeks of paid medical leave to care for a sick child, Quartz at Work reported. And if you’re traveling for work with your child, Patagonia will pay for a nanny or partner to accompany you. The company also allows breastfeeding mothers to nurse during meetings.

• Resources for moms who take leave for full-time caregiving

Accounting firm PwC provides a number of services for parents returning from leave, including emergency backup child care reimbursement of up to $1,000 per year, on-site rooms for pumping and nanny search services. It also has a Full Circle program, designed for those who leave the company to devote themselves to full-time caregiving. According to PwC, “the program allows participants — for a period of up to five years — to stay connected with their PwC colleagues by providing them with a ‘coach’ while they are gone. It also allows them to take advantage of the numerous available Firm resources, such as certain training and events.”

• Six months of paid parental leave

Spotify is one of the companies with the best maternity leave policies. Parents who work at the music streaming platform get an entire half-year off to spend with the new addition to their family. The six-month parental leave is fully paid.

• Subsidized backup child and adult care

Starbucks announced in 2018 that it had partnered with Care.com to offer Starbucks employees 10 subsidized backup care days each year to help ease the burden of finding last-minute care in the case of an unexpected occurrence. As part of the new Care@Work plan, all U.S. Starbucks employees will only pay $1 an hour for in-home backup child or adult care, or $5 per day per child for in-center child care for up to 10 days.

More From GOBankingRates

• Take Our Poll: Have Recent Hacks Made You Question Crypto Security?
• 5 Things Most Americans Don’t Know About Social Security
• Nominate Your Favorite Small Business To Be Featured on GOBankingRates
• The Hidden Costs of Education at Every Level

Photo Disclaimer: Please note photos are for representational purposes only.