Netflix recently announced its new unlimited maternity/paternity leave policy that encouraged parents (of either gender) to take as much time as needed through the first year after the birth or adoption of a child. Upon hearing this story, I was impressed with Netflix’s progressive and generous policy. Surely a company such as Netflix taking this step forward would encourage other employers to do the same. Yet, this article casts the policy in a different light, claiming that it’s a “two track system” because doesn’t allocate the same benefits to hourly workers. Indeed, a great deal of Netflix’s employees get just 12 weeks of paid paternity leave.
But we should attempt to keep this in perspective; Journalist Emily Peck points out that “only 12% of workers in the U.S. are offered paid family leave by their employers”. Unfortunately, as many of you know, the United States is one of only two countries that offers no paid maternity leave, let alone paternity leave, to its citizens.
How should the American public perceive this announcement? Are those protesting for 12 months paid paternity leave for hourly workers justified in doing so? Do you feel that they are asking for “too much”? Should we be satisfied, at least momentarily, with this step forward?
Given Netflix’s enormous influence, I initially saw this move as imperfect but well-intended- Yes, ideally hourly workers (in the DVD sector of Netflix) could get the same paid leave as those in the streaming sector (far more profitable) but I felt that a better understanding of business operations is needed to assess the viability of such a program. Peck states that “tech companies aren’t considering this as a fundamental thing for the health of their employees, they’re looking at [paid leave] as a way to attract employees”, suggesting that another problem lies in these companies’ motivations.
Do you agree with her assessment that “tech companies and other employers at the top of the economic ladder have been tripping over each other lately in an escalating benefits war” or do you believe that these companies reflect a changing American culture, with an increasing importance placed not only on family but also on the mental and physical well-being of the worker?