Creating a great parental leave policy is about more than just following the rules—it's about supporting your employees through one of life's biggest changes. While parental leave gives new parents the time they need to adjust, bond with their little one, and handle the physical and emotional ups and downs that come with having a baby, a comprehensive policy considers the whole new working parent journey. To help you refresh your parental leave policy, we’ll go over the different stages of parental leave and what your employees are experiencing on the whole journey.
We've touched paid parental leave as a business case, but let's explore why that time is so necessary and what it has to do with your leave policies. Here are all the stages and what may be happening at a high level:
By breaking down the different parental leave stages, you can see why relying on proxy solutions like the 6-8 weeks of Short Term Disability (STD) or limited state benefit programs are not enough.
For birthing parents, the first part of parental leave may begin 2-4 weeks before the due date when recommended by health care providers for pregnancy. There may be disability benefits available for this time under a STD plan for the pregnancy, but usually this time is unpaid aside from PTO. Paid Family Leave (PFL) benefits aren’t available until the baby arrives or is adoption/foster placement.
After the baby arrives, the postpartum stage of parental leave begins! This is typically 6-8 weeks postpartum and disability benefits under the STD plan or state benefits may be available to physically recover. However, this is also only a fraction of their salary (e.g. 60% of pay), depending on policies. Most employees will need to use their PTO or take it unpaid unless they have a paid parental leave policy, like Parento, in place.
Bonding can happen anytime up until 12 months following the birth or placement since not all parents take this time right away. If your state doesn’t have a PFL programs, this time would be unpaid or employees would rely on available PTO.
This leaves the valuable “bonding” leave underutilized, especially for dads and non-birthing parents.
Going back to work after parental leave can be a rollercoaster. Parents often feel excited to reconnect with their careers but also guilty and anxious about leaving their baby. Depending on the policy, this could be anywhere from six weeks to 16 weeks postpartum, which leaves a lot of room for varying experiences.
Even after a parent returns to work, whether it’s months or years, many many feel that the working world no longer works for them (especially moms). Today, there are more women working than ever before but they’re always adjusting to a “new normal” as they enter a new age and stage of parenting. They are always facing challenges such as childcare, time management, and guilt over missing milestones. So don’t forget this important stage as you’re reviewing your parental leave policies.
A well-crafted parental leave policy is essential for supporting new parents and creating a family-friendly workplace. By understanding the different stages of parental leave, employers can build comprehensive policies that are equitable and effective. The Parento program helps companies provide paid parental leave for every workplace with paid parental leave insurance, leave concierge, and parent experience support. This suite of products works in tandem with existing benefit plans to not only reduce financial risk and workload for your internal team, but also provide proactive and holistic support for every employee.
