Pinterest introduces new and extended parental benefits for employees and supports national paid family leave
December 8, 2021
As part of our work to advance a culture where employees feel supported to bring their full selves to work and create a life they love, we’re announcing an update to our parental benefits and highlighting our support of a national paid family leave.
Parental leave & support updates
Beginning on January 1, 2022, employees will have:
20+ weeks global parental leave. Global parental leave will be offered at a minimum of 20 weeks for all parents to bond with their newborn or newly adopted child. In the U.S., leave for birthing parents has been extended to 26 weeks from 16 weeks. As has been in place, after leave, birthing and adoptive parents can gradually return to work over the course of four weeks and can work the equivalent of one full day per week for full pay.
12 weeks paid leave for NICU. A new policy allowing parents of newborns in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) to take 12 weeks paid leave as family care leave.
20 weeks and up to $10K for adoptive parents globally. Adoptive parents will have 20 weeks of paid leave (extended from 16 weeks in the U.S.), in addition to an increase of monetary assistance from $5,000 to $10,000.
Four weeks paid leave for pregnancy loss. A new policy offering four weeks of paid leave to parents who experience a loss through a miscarriage at any point in the pregnancy.
Global IVF & egg freezing. IVF & egg freezing will be available for all (two IVF cycles and egg freezing), extending globally from an existing U.S. benefit.
This is one of the first companies we've heard of to provide dedicated leave to support NICU families. Keeping parents and NICU babies together during a hospital stay is critical to ensure the best possible outcomes for these families. This policy will have a powerful impact on the lives of so many, ensuring they thrive well beyond the NICU. We applaud Pinterest’s leadership and hope other companies will follow suit to help meet the critical needs of NICU babies and their parents.
Keira Sorrells, Preemie Mom, Founder & Executive Director NICU Parent Network
Existing benefits
These updates are in addition to existing benefits around areas such as surrogacy, breast milk shipments, and wellbeing. We will continue to offer the following benefits to employees:
Surrogacy assistance up to $20,000
Personalized parenting support through Cleo including 1:1 coaching, guidance and clinician-designed programs. Cleo also supports NICU parents and those who have experienced a pregnancy loss.
12 free mental health visits per year with therapists and psychologists nationwide through Lyra Health for employees and immediate family members, without medical network limitations
Free Calm subscriptions for employees and their family members to access tools for lowering stress, improving focus and getting more restful sleep
Dedicated care coordinators through Wellthy, a caregiving support service, to help with the logistical and administrative tasks of caring for loved ones
Support for parents with children with special needs
Free breast milk shipments for business traveling
Four weeks of paid COVID-related leave for reasons including caring for children due to school or childcare closures, as well as recovery for parents or caregivers
“Pintention Days” throughout the year where the entire company takes a break and employees can spend the time off however they’d like
Parents deserve support and a balanced work environment at all stages of family planning and child care, especially in the midst of a public health crisis. Extending our benefits to offer all employees more time and support to care for their children — and themselves — is critical to foster a positive environment for working parents in an ever-changing landscape. People do their best work when they feel seen and supported in a workplace that’s inclusive and inspiring.
Christine Deputy, Pinterest Chief People Officer
Our support of a U.S. national paid family leave
The United States is the only industrialized country with no national paid family leave policy1, and currently, 66% of employees in the country do not take needed leave due to the inability to afford it, while 45% fear losing their jobs2. An equal paid leave policy can help ease the impact of the “Shecession” affecting women disproportionately hit by the COVID economic fallout, and ensure families around the nation have much-needed support. We’re committed to supporting the work of organizations like PL+US (Paid Leave for the United States), which is a national campaign to win paid family and medical leave by 2022. Along with businesses around the nation, PL+US is currently urging Congress to pass permanent paid family and medical leave as part of the budget reconciliation bill.
Business leaders can help advocate for a national paid family and medical leave policy in the United States. At Pinterest, we support the efforts by PL+US and believe that Congress should act to pass paid leave legislation.
Braden Cox, Pinterest Head of U.S. Public Policy
Working on behalf of parents and all employees to ensure they have access to the benefits they need is fundamental to our philosophy as a company. More information on our benefits can be found on our Careers Page.
