It's time for #maternityleavemisconceptions ➡️ How long was your maternity leave? 10 weeks paid leave. ➡️ Did your partner take leave? If yes, how long? Feel free to elaborate. My partner used one week of PTO but was not offered formalized paid leave. ➡️ Did you feel it was long enough to heal and take on the responsibilities and learning curve that come with a newborn? Not even close! And when I returned to work, I was asked how my “break” was. ➡️ What changes do we need to see in the public perception of maternity leave? I’d love to see a shift in the language surrounding leave - instead of “maternity”/“paternity,” let's talk about “parental leave.” Even companies that offer “generous” maternity leave to birth mothers often offer much less leave to fathers/partners, which only reinforces the idea that parenting is mom’s job and working is dad’s job. ➡️ What could your company have done better to support you during your leave? A more robust paid leave policy, including more time and support upon return to office, such as assistance with childcare or additional resources for working mothers. Simplification of the leave process. It was an extremely complicated process, and even more complicated to navigate while sleep-deprived and caring for a newborn for the first time. The length of paid leave isn't the only crucial benefit of maternity and paternity leave anymore. My company could have supported in additional ways by offering flexible policies upon returning to work, additional PTO, enhanced insurance benefits..the list goes on. ➡️ Do you have any thoughts on what could be done from a national level in your country to better support women and families? YES. The U.S. is so very far behind global recommendations and policies for the best possible parental, newborn, health, psychological, and financial outcomes. The U.S. could offer universal paid leave and child care support, for a start.
Offering flexibility is one of the best ways to support working outside of home parents. At our fertility clinic we have three Executive Assistants who job share, working between 1-2 days/week before, during and after parental leave, as there needs to be down time to prepare for a life milestone and healing/bonding time after it. Companies need to actively prioritise flexibility to retain talent/knowledge, as constantly onboarding is inefficient and loses time and money. Being personable and rewarding people with gifts such as a bouquet of flowers for their birthdays show that you appreciate their effort on an individual level. It helps keep the team strong and not feel dispensable.
In Sweden we've been using "parental leave" for many years. The parental leave is for 18 months and the parents decide if one will use the leave or if they want to devide it.
It's time to eliminate these misconceptions once and for all!
I will use the term parental leave from now on.
I vote for maternity leave + #wfh #healing 🥳🥂💯🎯 I built my business on these values. It's not mothers, it's leadership not taking the first step and the next step for their workers. By doing the work, for your workers, you boost moral. Who would have known that's the true solution to leadership in action!
When we support new moms and families - we support the future and everyone benefits.
Six weeks for my first child. The law improved before my second baby, and I got 90 days. It’s not as much as I would have got in my home country, the UK, but far more than the US. Their maternity policies, or lack of, are just scary.
I support this💯! There is so much that could be gained by just changing mindsets!
Global Benefits Expert at Silicon Valley Employers Forum | Driving Global Change in Benefits & Well-being.
2yAgree, however above all maternity leave (pre and post birth) is a critical health policy for mother and baby. It is certainly not a holiday. flexible parental leave that can be taken in a longer time period and in blocks for both parents, after the baby's birth, are the way forward, as practiced already in Sweden and other countries. We need to be aware that Maternal and infant deaths are on the rise in many western countries due to decreased quality of maternal protection and care.