Having a baby? Why choosing the right employer will make your life better

Off the back of Facebook and Google’s announcement that employees will get financial assistance if they want to freeze their eggs, we look at what happens if you decide to take the plunge and have a child now. As any woman in the workforce or with a family can attest, there is no such thing as perfect timing when planning a baby but if you are thinking of doing it you need to choose your employer wisely. All employers are not created equal with leave and benefits especially in the U.S. where is the only one offering no paid compensation for maternity leave out of 21 high-income countries.

To start, ask yourself some questions. How can you keep a successful career on track and have enough time off with your baby? How much time is enough? That is hard to say and probably different for everyone.

If you are looking for the best policies and most progressive cultures then there are 3-5 things to look for:

• How much paid parental leave (PPL) am I eligible to receive through my company?
• Am I entitled to receive extended job protection of up to 26 weeks as part of my company’s maternity leave policy?
• Am I free to utilize a flex-time work schedule?
• Will my company provide my family with Back-Up Childcare/Sick Childcare?
• Are there additional resources/programs at my disposal such as support groups and employee-led business networking opportunities to help me navigate a successful path

Some of the top ten companies offering the most progressive benefits according to The 2014 Working Mother 100 Best Companies list 2014 include PwC, IBM, Deloitte, Prudential Financial and Discovery Communications.

The survey findings denote that on average, the Best Companies offer 7 weeks full maternity leave pay, 5 weeks full adoption leave pay and 3 weeks fully paid paternity leave. Further findings reveal telecommuting has risen by 55%, while the number of men who telecommute, work remotely and utilize a flex-time schedule is similar to that of female employees. We chose to speak with Metlife and PwC about how they have gone the extra mile to provide support for women (and men) taking time off to biologically have or adopt a baby.

In the Insurance industry, MetLife operates as a market-leader in offering competitive paternal policies and programs for employees. Those eligible for paid paternity leave (full-time/min 20 hours p/w) for the birth or adoption of their child at MetLife are granted eight weeks of paid leave for the primary care-giver (responsible for 50% of care and welfare of new born or adopted child) and a further two weeks paid paternity leave is allocated to a non-primary care-giver. Through the short-term disability plan, birth mothers may also use childbirth and recovery leave and know that up to 26 weeks job protection is provided in conjunction with the Family Medical Leave Act, PPL and disability benefits. Compare that to All State Insurance who offers only five weeks fully paid maternity leave but no paternity/adoptive parents’ leave, no Back-Up Childcare or no Sick Childcare. Another Insurance competitor, NY Life, although it provides eight weeks fully paid maternity leave and four weeks adoptive parents’ paid leave, it allows for only one week paternity paid leave and no Sick Childcare.

In its policy on paternity benefits MetLife remains ‘committed to creating, executing and promoting effective programs and policies to support employees as they balance work and family responsibilities.’ A learning/coaching program extended to both male and female employees eases the transition into parental leave while in addition to flexible work arrangements and paid time off, new parents can utilize Back-Up Childcare, Adoption Assistance and a number of Work-Life ASSIST seminars on Family and Care-giving and Lactation.

“One of the biggest transitions that many of us experience in life is becoming a parent,”

From the Big Four, PwC, goes a long way to providing parents with resources to meet their new responsibilities. Along with short-term disability and vacation time, eligible parents can take fully-paid parental leave at any point throughout the first year of the child’s birth, adoption or foster placement. Regardless of gender, sexual orientation or primary-care status, PwC allows all new parents either six weeks consecutive leave or three weeks (15 days) flexible, intermittent leave. An additional two weeks is extended should twins or another child result from the same pregnancy or adoption placement.

“One of the biggest transitions that many of us experience in life is becoming a parent,” said Jennifer Allyn, a managing director in PwC’s Office of Diversity. “Our policy recognizes the need for all parents, including fathers, adoptive and foster parents, to spend time away from work during that critical first year following the addition of a child.”

As with MetLife, extended job protection of up to 26 weeks is offered to all eligible parents at PwC, emergency Back-Up Day-care and a Nursing Mother’s program providing a one-on-one lactation consulting to partners and staff or their same/opposite sex partner or spouse. In addition, participants in PwC’s health plans are entitled to a free state-of-the-art breast pump and reimbursement for the cost of shipping milk home during travel.

“Since paid leave is not mandatory here in the U.S. this is the first step companies can take in order to go that extra mile for their employees. New moms starting out from scratch can find it shocking, it’s a big change so being hooked up with a mentor who has gone through the whole experience before can ease the transition. Phasing back is also a useful means by which to support employees in making a successful adjustment,” said Jennifer Owens, Editorial Director of Working Mother Magazine and Working Mother Research Institute.

The high-performance culture set by these industries means employees need time to disconnect and recharge while secure in the knowledge that they have their company’s support behind them to not only achieve a healthy Life-Work balance but to also encourage growth and development within their career. By allowing for sufficient time off after a birth or adoption placement, in addition to Back-Up Childcare, job protection and support networks, companies are investing in the future of all concerned.

Through endorsing a supportive work culture as well as offering programs and policies women can be freed from the paradigm of choosing a career over family or vice versa. Finally, once we endorse men to also feel free to take time off for parenting and many firms do, then we are on our way to creating a workplace which breaks the mold on gender stereotypes.

By Orlagh McCarron