Change.org Extends Gender-Neutral Parental Leave Policy

Change.org announced recently that it will amend its parental leave policy. The site that allows users to create petitions will increase the paid time an employee can take for the birth of a child from six weeks to 18 weeks. This is extended to both fathers and mothers. The new policy also includes people who adopt as being eligible for leave. Change.org has about 200 employees, and about 51 percent are women.

The company’s new policy goes further than federal law. Although the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides job protection so parents can take leave, there’s no guarantee of pay during time off. Jennifer Dulski, president and CEO of Change.org, told CNN Money that “giving people unpaid leave only solves half the problem.” The company’s goal was “to create a generous and equal leave policy that supported all parents,” she said.

Other companies in the tech world offer generous parental leave. Google offers 22 weeks of paid leave for biological mothers and seven weeks for parents who adopt. Facebook, Instagram and Reddit offer 17 paid weeks for both parents, while Yahoo offers all mothers, including those who give birth or adopt, 16 paid weeks. Fathers who work at Yahoo get eight weeks.

The sorry state of parental leave in the U.S.

David Hanrahan, head of global human resources at Change.org, wrote an opinion piece for the Huffington Post and laid out the sorry state of parental leave in the U.S. “The state of parental leave in the U.S. sucks,” he bluntly stated. Indeed it does. He points out that the U.S. is one of only three countries -- Oman and Papua New Guinea are the others -- that don’t mandate paid parental leave at the federal level.

Hanrahan challenges other companies to “close the gap” by realizing the “ power they have to provide fair and equal leave for their employees.” He specifically challenges other U.S. companies to “step up and offer paid parental leave -- for all parents -- at least at the FMLA minimum of 12 weeks.”  He asks FMLA covered companies, or companies with over 50 employees, to lay out a blueprint to provide 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave for both parents. Companies have an “opportunity to take tangible action to value the role of parents,” Hanrahan said. He urges other companies to join Change.org in “offering paid and equal parental leave.”

Part of Change.org’s campaign to increase awareness about the need for better parental leave is the use of the hashtag #ChangeLeave. PR Daily calls the campaign the “best type of content marketing—purpose-driven, multi-platform and well executed.” It's an issue that needs more awareness as paid parental leave is important. Or as President Obama said in June, “These aren't frills -- they're basic needs.”

Image credit: Bev Sykes