Parentaly

A member of our Parentaly team returned from 16 weeks of leave this week…! Here’s how her manager prepared for her return: One: Announcement in our team meeting. Seems obvious but we hear SO MANY stories about leaders forgetting to notify their department about a teammate’s return from leave. Spoiler: this makes (literally no one!) feel good. Two: Welcome Back Prep Doc In addition to the re-onboarding plan her manager and coverage team built throughout her leave, the rest of us completed a “TLDR re-onboarding update” for her to read, highlighting:? - Our biggest wins - Changes to our role or projects? - What keeps us up at night?(besides our children) - What we’re most excited about going into 2025? - Things we think she should know + personal updates Three: A quiet first day back First days are tough - even when the employee is excited to return, the day still feels “loaded.” Rather than have everyone bombard her on day one, her first day back was solely dedicated to quietly combing through her inbox and having one meeting with her manager. That’s it. On day two we hit her with our full blown excitement ;) (and DM me if you'd like a doc to share with your team!)

? ICYMI: A roundup of parental leave & working parent news ? ?? We share tips on how to make it easier to return from parental leave via Motherly?: https://lnkd.in/ersqGwtV ?? Parental leave should not be a career killer. Our article in The Baltimore Sun explains: https://lnkd.in/eZ4P8jmE ?? Fathers at Deloitte will receive 26 weeks of fully paid leave starting in January 2025: https://lnkd.in/eCmchVbd #parentalleave #career #policy #workingparents

How you want your employees to feel when they return from parental leave: "Team, what a LOVELY way to be welcomed back! Thank you so much for the thoughtful reonboarding, notes, docs, Hubspot tasks, and of course flowers in welcoming me back. Excited to dive back in with everyone!" Help us give Emmy Carragher a warm welcome back & make sure to follow her to hear what she learned throughout her parental leave journey! ??

Remember when the Surgeon General declared a public health advisory about parents’ stress levels in the United States? In case you missed it, the report called out that almost half of parents are too stressed to function most days. It included a long list of parental stressors, calling for policy and program changes to better support the wellbeing of parents and caregivers. One key recommendation? Better paid leave policies. We’re one of the only countries in the world without a national paid family leave mandate. Only folks in 14 states have access to state-led programs. So today, on World Mental Health Day, I decided to look into how paid leave impacts mental health in other countries: ???? In Sweden, when fathers received 30 days of paid leave after the birth of a child, antidepressant prescriptions for mothers decreased by 26% ???? In Canada, mothers with access to paid leave report a 14% lower risk of postpartum depression compared to those without it ???? In Germany, the 2007 reformed policy led to a 20% reduction in mental health conditions AND fathers reported higher life satisfaction after taking leave ???? In Hong Kong, expanding paid leave from 10-14 weeks led to a 22% decrease in depression among mothers ???? In Belgium, parents who take parental leave see a 20% improvement in mental health, with lower rates of anxiety and depression And closer to home: ???? In California, having access to 8 weeks of partially paid leave reduced maternal depression by up to 17%! These are just a few data points I found with a quick search. But it made it pretty clear: paid leave makes a real difference and drives better mental health outcomes. And by supporting parents and caregivers through these policies, families will thrive - which also strengthens our economy and society. #mentalhealth #worldmentalhealthday #paidleave

When a manager prepares a re-onboarding plan for a new parent coming back to work after parental leave, it increases that new parent’s retention by 17%! ? Now, I think most people would agree that re-onboarding plans make sense. Tactically, they make things easier. ? But what I think we don’t talk about enough is why they actually drive RETENTION. ? Here’s my opinion: I think when managers create strong re-onboarding plans they are sending a message that they care about this employee. ? They’re showing that they are invested in their success. That they believe in them. ? That they’re thrilled to have them back and have put real thought into building a sensible and supportive onboarding environment. ? This is so powerful. ? It’s not just about the plan (although the plan is good, too). ? It’s about the intentions, and the commitment, behind the plan. ********* This data is from Parentaly‘s survey of? nearly 3,000 women who took paid parental leave in the past three years. Want to see more of the survey results? Download the full white paper on Parentaly’s website (>>> resources page), or follow me (Allison Whalen) to learn more!

When more fathers take paid parental leave, it drives equity for all parents. The Dad Shift—the group responsible for putting babies in carriers on statues in London—wrote an open letter to the prime minister advocating for more generous paid leave for dads in the UK. Want to show your support? Read the letter and add your name here: https://lnkd.in/efrim-iN #paidleave #parentalleave #genderequity

"Despite the many benefits of longer paid leave policies, there are still many open questions about how to implement these policies in a way that truly supports business continuity and the careers of working parents." Allison Whalen and Mansi Kothari cover the impact parental leave has on a woman's career and why companies should take a more hands-on approach to help their teams prepare for leave transitions. Read more via The Baltimore Sun: https://lnkd.in/e7wxnKa8 #parentalleave #career #research

A new study found a possible link between New York’s paid family leave law and its positive impact on infant health: According to the study, there was an 18% drop in ER visits for infant RTIs and a 27% drop in visits for RSV after NY passed mandatory paid leave in 2016. "...it strengthens the case for adopting a national paid family leave policy, which could significantly improve public health outcomes and provide economic stability for more families across the country," the report says. Read more about the findings: https://lnkd.in/gsygGvsu #paidleave #publichealth

Happy 1st birthday to my third baby! Yes…I’m talking about Parentaly's podcast: The False Tradeoff. ?? Producing this podcast has been a labor of love and I can’t believe we’ve been releasing episodes for an entire YEAR already. It’s been a career highlight to build it from concept to reality, carefully determining every detail in between. But more importantly - and perhaps what I’m most proud of - is that I helped create something that resonates with so many people. From HR leaders to working parents and allies, it’s rewarding to know folks think differently or feel less alone because of the discussions we’re having. Every message or comment I receive about what an episode did for someone at that moment in time truly makes my day. So if you’ve listened even once, or joined us as a guest to lend your time and expertise, a heartfelt thank you for being on this journey with us! And a huge shoutout to Allison Whalen for being a great host and partner in this work. Here’s to year 2! ?? P.S. What’s been your favorite episode? Would love to hear ?? …where I will also shamelessly share where to find us for those who haven’t tuned in yet!

New paid parental leave policy for Deloitte fathers in the UK: Starting in January, all employees will be eligible for six months of paid leave starting on their first day of employment! ?? Before this change, fathers received 4 weeks while mothers received 26 - noting a significant increase for dads at the firm. The policy change is meant to equalize parental leave for all UK employees, to "ultimately foster greater gender equality in the workplace." Read more about the policy and data that drove this change: https://lnkd.in/dzW-cT8e #paidleave #parentalleave #benefits #genderequality