Netflix Just Upped the Game for Maternity and Paternity Leave in a Major Way

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last updated 8 November 2021

It's good to be a Netflix employee, it seems. On Tuesday, the company announced it would begin offering unlimited maternity and paternity leave for employees for a full year after adopting or giving birth to a new child. Yes, you read that correctly.

The company detailed the change in policy in a blog post, explaining that new parents will now have the freedom to decide what's best for them in terms how and when they take off to care for their children.

"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," Netflix's chief talent officer Tawni Cranz wrote. "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. "

Where is a choir singing "Hallelujah" on demand when you need it? That's a pretty incredible step for a company like Netflix to take. So what's the reason behind the new policy? Because the company wants to make sure it can recruit and retain the best possible employees.

"Experience shows people perform better at work when they're not worrying about home," Cranz wrote. "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."

Boom. Netflix just dropped the mic on corporations who don't treat their employees like human beings. Bravo.

I'm a writer for Cosmopolitan.com manning the fort during the night shift (because I love staying up late and hate getting up early in the morning). My nickname is not Becky, Beck, Becca or Bex--it's Burt, which is what almost everyone calls me.