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Netflix must have shot up the rankings of the most-desired companies to work for in the US, after introducing a brand new maternity and paternity leave policy that puts it miles ahead of pretty much every other company in America.
The streaming company has earned the full support of the general public after stating that they would now offer paid leave for the first year following the birth or adoption of a child, a monumental step in the right direction at a time when employers are increasingly infringing upon the time new parents can spend with their children. That this new policy pertains to parents of adopted children, too, is commendable, as no matter how a child finds his/her way into a family, they should spend their first year with their new parents.
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However, Netflix has come under some criticism due to this policy only being applicable to full-time employees, with part-time employees working in its digital distribution centers not being covered. While it’s unknown just how many Netflix staffers are listed under part-time employment, a report in January stated that the company had 2,100 full-time workers and over 200 part-time workers, with NPR analysts estimating that 400-500 Netflix employees are not salaried, with them therefore being excluded from the new policy.
But although the new policy isn’t perfect in that it doesn’t stretch to accommodate all of Netflix’s employees, it does mark a big milestone for American companies, considering that the region currently has no legislation put in place regarding paid maternity/paternity leave. Microsoft has already followed suit, amending its own parental leave policy mere hours after Netflix’s revised terms, upping its 12 weeks of paid leave for new mothers to 20 weeks, alongside paid pre-maternity leave.
It remains to be seen whether more tech companies will follow suit in the wake of Netflix and Microsoft’s new policies, but hopefully this will start something of a revolution when it comes to employers’ treatment of new parents.
