Etsy is proud to provide an update regarding its implementation of its gender-neutral parental leave policy nine months into the program. The company found no negative impact on employee's performance.
Etsy is only one of the few companies that offer quite a huge amount of time that employees can take with pay after a birth or an adoption of a child. At Etsy, both mothers and fathers can have 26 weeks of paid time off, which they can consume within two years, per Business Insider.
The commerce company decided to implement such parental leave policy in order to enable and support parents as they perform their roles at home, as well as do a better job when then return to work. Etsy also considered other factors such as proven benefits of shared parenting and changes in the traditional workplace and family structure, according to Fortune.
Since the implementation of the parental leave policy in March, Etsy reported that 48 of its employees had taken a leave, half of them are women, half are men. The generous amount of time off also did not affect the careers of these parents, as 35% of them have actually been promoted.
Previous research found that mothers are often worried about the consequences of their leave, including lower pay, worse assignments and fewer chances for promotion.
"My wife no longer has to put aside her career so that she can take on the responsibility of being the primary caregiver. Now I can jump in and also be that person," said Amish Shah, a senior product manager at Etsy.
Other companies that have gender-neutral policies are Facebook, Netflix, Reddit, and Bank of America. According to data, only 12% of employees of private companies have access to paid family leave. The U.S. also remains as one of the only few countries that do not have paid maternity leave policies. However, President Donald Trump promised during his campaign a six-week guaranteed paid time off for all working women, Pacific Daily News reported.
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