Finding a balance between having a child and a career is a difficulty felt by parents, daycares, and caretakers. Parents struggle to find a job that provides paid parental leave, quality healthcare coverage, and reliable childcare.
Just Capital, a CNBC partner, looked into America’s largest companies to find out which ones are meeting the needs of working parents.
Alison Omens, president of Just Capital said, “Americans are very clear about what they believe companies should prioritize: their workers.” According to the research done by Just Capital, the top American companies to work at as a working parent include American Express, Goldman Sachs, Deckers Outdoor, S&P Global, and Splunk.
All of these companies offer twenty or more weeks of paid parental leave for both primary and secondary caregivers, backup dependent care for their employees, and parental leave parity for all caregivers.
Omens stated, “What the pandemic uncovered and remains true today, is that for working parents, particularly for mothers who disproportionately provide caregiving, a key part is their paid parental leave.”
Lauren and Mario Washington said that their parental leave at S&P Global made a huge difference in their family dynamic after welcoming their second child.
Said Lauren, “Those initial weeks seem fleeting, but they tangibly enhanced our family’s balance and relationship.” She continued, “Mario’s involvement helped our oldest daughter adjust from being an only child to a big sister and helped me focus on nurturing our newborn and my recovery.”
Yvette Lee, an HR knowledge advisor at SHRM spoke out saying, “Paid parental leave is an expensive proposition. But turnover of key talent may be even more costly.” Lee continued to say that the investment in these programs is beneficial, especially in the long run.
