Today, I’ve invited the awesome folks from List Your Leave to tell us more about how they’re inspiring transparency in companies’ parental leave policies. Read about what they’re up to. Then consider posting your own company’s policy on their site – completely anonymously.
When new parents face the need for a maternity or paternity leave, they are usually worried about timing, how to transition back to work, and how to care for their new baby. Most don’t worry about the leave itself – until they find out their leave benefits. You take vacation time. You take sick time. How could taking maternity or paternity leave be any different?
But in reality, right now in the U.S. 44% of workers have no access to any leave at all. And only 13% of workers have access to paid leave.
The fact is, most women (and men) are uninformed about their parental leave policy before they need it. Many think FMLA is paid leave. And many assume when co-workers and friends take leave, that its paid in some way.
List Your Leave is a free database of maternity and paternity leave policies by company or organization in the U.S., created to be a resource for all working families.
What if you knew your company’s leave policy during the interview process? Or what if it was acceptable to discuss and negotiate family leave the same way it is vacation time, medical benefits and retirement? What if transparency around leave policies removed the stigma of discussing leave?
Unpaid leave cost new mothers 25-30% of their annual salary. In addition, taking leave can keep women (and men) from receiving annual bonuses and promotions and can permanently alter a career trajectory.
When companies support their workers in creating both a successful career and a rewarding family life, both benefit tremendously. Data supports this, and List Your Leave believes the way to achieve this for all American workers is through transparency.
By sharing your experience with your company (anonymously) on List Your Leave, you can not only help out other moms trying to make sense of their leave benefits. You can also help all companies know how much paid leave matters to working families.
List Your Leave was founded by a group of working professionals who created this resource after watching friends, colleagues and family members struggle with the issue of family leave. Don’t wait until you are in the family planning stage of your career to get educated about your leave benefits. Use List Your Leave to get smart on leave while job searching, preparing for a leave, or discussing family leave benefits with an employer. And be sure to list your own leave to help others get smart.
If employees care about leave, companies will too.
List Your Leave is a free database of leave policies and a platform for transparent information sharing, policy reviews, and company culture ratings. List Your Leave was founded by a group of young working professionals dedicated to both work and family. Our mission is to create a dialogue between American companies and families about leave policies. If employees care about family leave, companies will too. Visit List Your Leave to add a company review and search company policies and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
If you need more help getting your head in a better place to return to work after maternity leave, join us for the next session of Mindful Return.
Want more practical tips on working parenthood? Check out my book, Back to Work After Baby: How to Plan and Navigate a Mindful Return from Maternity Leave.
