Issue 24: Bonding, building and mobilizing

Parento's inaugural Team Retreat in Puerto Rico

Last month the Parento team met in person for the first ever company retreat in San Juan, Puerto Rico. ?????? Parento is fully remote and has been since its founding, and with team members across the nation, no more than 2-3 employees have met in person. Building team culture is important for camaraderie and collaboration and starts with at least meeting in person.

Between workshops and trainings (#workhardplayhard) we also enjoyed the beauty of Puerto Rico: hiking in El Yunque, the national rainforest, kayaking in the Bioluminescent Bay, walking tours of Old San Juan, and so much more.

Parent to Champion Toolkit Launch ??

Download the Parent to Champion Toolkit

It's here! We launched our new Parent to Champion toolkit, a 25 page guide to convert parents into paid parental leave experts and advocates so they can fight for equitable #paidleave at work.

We are extremely proud of this campaign, launching for #womenshistorymonth to mobilize and activate parents. So, who is this for?

• Expectant or current parents without access to #paidparentalleave
• ERG leaders who are interested in new policies and programs
• Advocates for #paidleave who want to join the conversation
• LGBTQ+ parents who are looking for an equitable solution

Download the Parent to Champion Toolkit

Women's History Month and Maternal Health

It's #womenshistorymonth but the U.S. still has a LONG way to go to reforming how women, and especially mothers, are cared for. Maternal health, especially for Black and BIPOC mothers, is moving in the wrong direction - with access to equitable healthcare continuing to be a challenge for many women. The CDC reports that Black mothers experience maternal mortality and complications at almost 2x the rate of white birthing mothers.

In addition, the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health graded every U.S. state on four characteristics that gauge how they support birthing mothers. To no one's surprise, 40 of 50 states receive D's and F's and only ONE state, California, received a grade above a C. Again, only one state is passing.

Explore state report cards and see how your state ranks ??

Are brands disconnected from consumers? We're looking at you Wendy's and Kellogg's

Last week two heavy hitters had to turn off social comments and put their PR team on overtime. First, Wendy's CEO said they would be testing "dynamic pricing" - e.g. surge pricing, yes, like your Ubers - in 2025 and social media was not having it. Then, Kellogg's CEO went on live TV and said that cereal for dinner was a viable, and affordable, alternative for families on a budget.

These comments were met with swift backlash but also pointed at a deepening disconnect between what consumers want and what brands are pushing. This is another reminder for companies to make sure your messaging aligns with customer needs.

How is Connecticut's Paid Family Leave Program doing?

The Connecticut Paid Leave Authority released new program usage information, documenting the program success from the last two years. Here are some highlights:

• Over two years, benefits were paid out to 100,000 workers
• The average claim paid out was $6,380
• 35% of all claims were for pregnancy, childbirth and bonding. Over 50% of all claims were for an individual's own health

This usage data is encouraging and speaks to growing program adoption. We will update this when more details become available, including income brackets by applicants, average length of leave for childbirth and pregnancy, and the percentage of claims that were denied/appealed.

What we're reading:

• The importance of mobilizing working parents, usually the largest employee demographic
• SXSW's conference keynotes were released and most center on building positive workplaces, the importance of DEI, and how AI will continue to influence work.
• Recent legislation in Alabama has highlighted how polarizing medical care can be, and how vast it varies from state to state. Some doctors who deal with high-risk pregnancies are speaking about their experiences.

Let us know what you'd like to see covered next week!

Cheers! ??