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With a busy week behind you and the weekend within reach, there’s no shame in taking things a bit easy on Friday afternoon. With this in mind, every Friday TriplePundit will give you an easy read on a topic you care about. So, take a break from those endless email threads and spend five minutes catching up on the latest trends in sustainability and business.
The United States remains the only industrialized nation that does not mandate paid family leave for all workers. Thankfully, some companies are beginning to take matters into their own hands -- not only because it's the right thing to do, but also because it makes good business sense.
"When employees are able to take paid leave, they’re less stressed at work and are able to come back feeling refreshed, both of which are good news for employee efficiency and thus the bottom line," Richard Eidlin, vice president of public policy and business engagement for the American Sustainable Business Council, wrote in an op/ed on TriplePundit.
Despite these benefits, only 13 percent of workers in the private sector have access to paid parental leave, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. And by far, most of them are white-collar, salaried workers.
These 10 companies are bucking this trend by offering all employees paid leave to care for a new child or a sick family member. You may notice one thing they all have in common: They're remarkably successful for their industries. Coincidence? You decide.
Hourly workers also receive paid time off following the birth or adoption of a child, albeit not as generous as the company's unlimited policy. Hourly employees in the company's streaming department are eligible for 16 weeks paid maternity or paternity leave. Employees in the DVD department are eligible for 12 weeks, while customer service employees receive 14 weeks.
Under the new policy, birth mothers are now eligible for up to six months of paid time off when factoring in short-term disability, Fortune reported.
While lower-wage, hourly workers are often left out of paid leave, Hilton went full-boar and extended its policies to all 40,000 team members -- from cooks and housekeepers to corporate executives.
Under the new policy, all full-time employees (30 hours or more per week) are eligible for eight weeks paid family leave, Reuters reported in May. This includes new fathers, adoptive parents and employees who need to care for a sick family member. Birth mothers are now eligible for 14 weeks paid time, with the option to extend as medically necessary and recommended by a doctor.
Under the new policy, primary caregivers are eligible for six months of paid leave, with the option to work part-time for six additional months will full benefits. New secondary caregivers can take up to three months of paid time.
The new policy is part of ZestFinance's quest for a truly diverse and inclusive workforce. It's concurrent with the company's goals to increase minority diversity by 25 percent and achieve gender parity in its workforce, a goal it achieved for its C-suite last year.
The policy includes hourly workers but comes with one caveat -- only non-bargaining (i.e., non-union) employees can take part.
Those six weeks of parental leave are also available to new fathers and “all other new parents who have been at Amazon for a year or more,” the company told Bloomberg.
Beginning in April, the peer-to-peer e-commerce company began offering all employees 26 weeks of fully paid leave when they become a parent through birth or adoption, regardless of their gender.
“When my wife and I adopted our son nearly four years ago, I took the full five weeks of leave we offered at the time,” Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson said in a statement in March. “It was the most important way I could have spent that time. Building a company is a team effort that includes the immense support we get from our families. I’m excited that our new leave policy will strengthen families and, as a result, the company as a whole.”
Image courtesy of Netflix (press use only)
Mary Mazzoni has reported on sustainability in business for over a decade and now serves as managing editor of TriplePundit. She is also the general manager of TriplePundit's Brand Studio, which has worked with dozens of brands and organizations on sustainability storytelling. Along with 3p, Mary's recent work can be found in publications like Conscious Company, Salon and Vice's Motherboard. She also works with nonprofits on media projects, including the women's entrepreneurship coaching organization Street Business School. She is an alumna of Temple University in Philadelphia and lives in the city with her partner and two spoiled dogs.