Netflix has announced that they will give new parents a year’s fully-paid leave to ensure the retention of top talent.
The video streaming site will offer the benefit of flexible leave on full pay to all staff worldwide in addition to their current scheme where employees’ are entitled to unlimited holiday provided they meet the requirements of their job.
Tawni Cranz, chief talent officer at Netflix, said:
“We want employees to have the flexibility and confidence to balance the needs of their growing families without worrying about work or finances. Parents can return part-time, full-time, or return and then go back out as needed. We’ll just keep paying them normally, eliminating the headache of switching to state or disability pay. Each employee gets to figure out what’s best for them and their family, and then works with their managers for coverage during their absences.
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“Netflix’s continued success hinges on us competing for and keeping the most talented individuals in their field. Experience shows people perform better at work when they’re not worrying about home. 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.”
Tech companies are implementing similar schemes around the world to keep their staff in a competitive industry.
Vodafone announced this year that they would pay their staff a full-time salary for the first 16 weeks of maternity leave followed by a reduced work week on full pay to help new mothers return to work. Google offers 22 months of paid leave to mothers, while Facebook provides four months for both mothers and fathers.
Netflix announced the new parental leave policy via a blog post.
Joe Wiggins, career trends analyst at Glassdoor said:
“Allowing new parents to take up to a year of off work with a new baby is of course great news. But what is really fantastic about the announcement from Netflix is its open approach to publicising the new maternity offering.
“Our recent research revealed that just a third of female employees claim they were given information about maternity benefits when they started their current job. We also found that 39 percent of female employees feel this information is difficult to find with 13 percent claiming they had to ask for it as it’s not published anywhere within the business.
“There are more than 13 million women in the workplace and amongst these more than 5 million are working mums. These women are an important part of UK businesses so it seems pretty short sighted to keep maternity benefit details under lock and key. So why are so many employers taking such a cloak and dagger approach to keeping these benefits such a close guarded secret? When asked how they would like to see the availability of maternity information change, half of the women surveyed feel that it should be compulsory for all organisations to have a transparent benefits package from the start of the recruitment process.”
Steff joined the HRreview editorial team in November 2014. A former event coordinator and manager, Steff has spent several years working in online journalism. She is a graduate of Middlessex University with a BA in Television Production and will complete a Master's degree in Journalism from the University of Westminster in the summer of 2015.
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