Following Netflix, Microsoft Improves Their Maternity Leave Program

Since Netflix announced a generous plan to offer unlimited maternity and paternity leave to their employees, at least one other company seems to have been inspired by the move to upgrade their own program. Microsoft released a statement saying they will now offer 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave to their employees who are welcoming new children.

According to USA Today, Microsoft detailed the new changes, which will be effective November 1, in a blog post.

Today we provide eight weeks of fully paid maternity disability leave for new mothers, plus 12 weeks of Parental Leave for all parents of new children of which four are paid and eight unpaid. For these parents to bring their best every day, they need time to take care of themselves and their family.

For birth mothers, this is in addition to the eight weeks of maternity disability leave they currently receive, paid at 100 percent, enabling them to now take a total of 20 weeks of fully paid leave if they choose.

The company also stated that they will offer mothers the opportunity to use Short-Term Disability Leave two weeks before their scheduled due date in order to “manage the physical impact that often comes with late pregnancy and to prepare for the upcoming birth.” The new benefits allow flexibility, such as taking the leave in a continuous 12-week period or splitting it into two. Let’s hope more and more companies follow suit.