Music streaming service, Spotify, is leading the way to revolutionize paid parental leave in the United States. The company announced on Nov. 19 that it will begin giving its full-time employees 100 percent paid leave for up to six months after becoming new parents – that's right, parents. Both moms and dads will be able to take advantage of Spotify's generous parental leave benefits whether they have a new baby via natural childbirth, surrogate, or even adoption.
The plan is a trailblazer in the U.S. which has the distinction of being the only developed country in the world without paid parental leave benefits.
In addition to the half a year off with paid parental leave, parents may also opt to start the leave up to 60 days before the expected arrival of the new baby, and extend the leave, unpaid, until the child is three years old. Employees may also retroactively claim their leave if they had a baby after Jan. 1, 2013. Spotify employees who got parental leave under the company's previous policy will be able to get an additional paid time off for up to six months as well.
The six months of paid leave may be taken all at once, or in three chunks over the span of three years.
According to Spotify's FAQ's on their new parental leave plan, employees may not however, be guaranteed the same position when they return for full-time hours on the job. But their new role “will be commensurate with that employee's current level of experience," they said.
Katarina Berg, Spotify's chief human resource officer, wrote in a blog that the parental leave policy is modeled after the emphasis that the company's home base of Sweden puts on family.
Some Swedish companies allot up to 480 days of paid parental leave for both moms and dads and can be taken until the child is up to eight years old.
“Spotify is growing up fast and the team’s responsibilities at home and at work are growing with us. With this in mind, today we’re introducing a new, global, parental leave policy, developed to support all of our staff with families, wherever they are in the world,” she wrote.
Spotify's current parental leave plan has already been in place for Spotify's Stockholm head offices in Sweden but Thursday's announcement will make the benefits available to all employees no matter where in the world they are based.
Be sure to follow T-Lounge on Twitter and visit our Facebook page.
