Amazon made a big announcement [in November] about parental leave. This comes after the firestorm following the New York Times article on Amazon’s office culture (including how unfriendly it was to new parents).
In an email message forwarded to Jezebel, Amazon is now going to offer up to 20 weeks of parental leave for birth mothers, and six weeks for all other new parents. The policy includes a new “leave-share” program aimed to help Amazon employees share their leave time with partners who may not have a leave policy at their workplace. There’s also a “ramp-back” program, which is designed help new parents transition back to work.
“One hopes that [Amazon’s policies] are about boosting morale,” Ellen Bravo, executive director of Family Values @ Work, tells Fast Company. The national network of 21 state and local coalitions aims to grow the movement for family-friendly work policies.
“All these policies are great,” says Bravo, especially the leave share, as it acknowledges that many partners need affordable leave but don’t get it. “You have to have a clear message from the top on paper,” she adds. But Bravo believes there’s something important missing from the announcement.
Full story: Fast Company »
Washington Work and Family Coalition 