Steal Our Family Leave Plan, Please!
By: Rachel Hofstetter
Tags: Paid Family Leave, Women In Tech, HR, Startup, Parenting

By Rachel Hofstetter, Chief Marketing Officer at Chatbooks

We have a big, bold mission at Chatbooks: to strengthen families. We try to embody this mission in everything we do — from the products we create and sell to how we serve our customers and how we support our team members.

One of our goals is to make work “work” for new parents. We built our playbook from scratch, talking to new parents at over two dozen companies and listening to what was great, what they wish they had, and what didn’t make an impact. We distilled the best learnings and practices into our Family Leave Plan, below, and have pressure-tested it and refined it over the last four years. And while there’s nothing cute or fancy or surprising, it encompasses what actually makes a difference for employees, and helps them invest in both a career and family life they love.

Today, it’s the number one thing that friends and acquaintances ask me for, whether we’re standing in the carpool queue at preschool pickup or texting about a professional introduction. I reply with a “One Sheet” and the dictum to “Steal It! Use it verbatim!” And now, I say the same to you: steal the plan! Put it into practice. It’ll help with employee retention, support all parents (women and men), and ultimately strengthen your culture.

This plan isn’t perfect, or set in stone — we’re constantly trying to evolve it and add more scope and coverage. But for a small business like us, it’s the highest impact way we can start. If that sounds like the stage you’re at, steal our plan :-)

The Family Leave Plan:

No-Stress, Fully Paid Leave

4 weeks paid leave for all new parents: mothers, fathers, part-time employees, etc.

new parents: mothers, fathers, part-time employees, etc. Additional 8 weeks paid leave for birth mothers who work full-time (for a total of 12 weeks of fully paid maternity leave).

Health insurance, stock option vesting, and bonus potential continue at full rates.

No extra paperwork to fill out or stressful waiting for reimbursement checks.

When practical, we bring in temporary coverage for the role during the employee’s leave.

Employees own a simple Family Leave Plan (template here) to share who is handling their responsibilities and if (and how) they want to be contacted. This is shared with the whole team and pinned in Slack for easy access.

Flexible Off and On Ramps

Birth mothers are moved off all “critical path” duties 2 weeks before their due date, and can work a flexible, reduced schedule from home for the duration of their pregnancy.

In the 2 weeks following maternity leave, employees can ramp back up at a pace that works for their situation (while fully paid).

Ongoing Support

All employees can work flexibly as needed — whether that’s taking an afternoon off to care for a sick child or catch a kid’s soccer game, or setting up ongoing plans for part-time or fully remote work.

Create and maintain best in class Mother’s Lounges — dedicated, lockable rooms that contain hospital-grade pumps, refrigerators, and sinks.

Create and maintain Nap Rooms (with a crib, changing table, monitor, etc) and Play Rooms (with toys) for employees’ occasional use (e.g., daycare is closed, visiting a parent for lunch).

Career Growth Support

Chatbooks coaches are trained to have frequent, ongoing conversations with employees about their career goals and lifestyle needs. In addition, coaches are empowered to implement creative solutions (e.g. flexible working arrangements) that serve both the company and the employee.

While an employee is on family leave, leadership makes an intentional effort to keep him/her in the loop about critical business decisions and continues to invite him/her to timely growth and leadership opportunities. The employee can choose if and how they want to engage.

Coaches and the Chatbooks HR team work to ensure equality in compensation and opportunity for all employees, regardless of his or her family situation.

Family Leave Legalese

Setting up your own Family Leave policy? Here’s the official version of the Chatbooks Family Leave Policy. Feel free to copy any of the language you want (but it’s a good idea to check with your own legal team, too).

Parental Leave Eligibility

It is the policy of the Company to provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave to eligible employees for the birth or adoption of a child. Eligible employees are defined as any W2 employee who is non-temporary in nature (i.e, interns or seasonal employees), who also meets one of the following criteria:

a. Have given birth to a child; or

b. Be a spouse or committed partner of a woman who has given birth to a child; or

c. Have adopted a child who is 18 years old or younger. This provision does not apply to the adoption of a stepchild by a stepparent.

There are no requirements as to length of service at the Company before an Employee is eligible for paid Parental Leave.

Paid and Unpaid Parental Leave

Employees classified as Standard Full-Time (40+ hours per week) are eligible for 1 month of paid leave dedicated to bonding time with the new family member. If the employee also gave birth to the new family member, the Company provides an additional 2 months of paid leave dedicated to medical recovery and recuperation.

Employees classified as Part-Time (less than 40 hours per week) are eligible for 1 month of paid leave dedicated to bonding time and medical recovery time.

During the paid leave period, benefits, bonus potential, and equity vesting (if applicable) continue at 100% of the pre-leave norm.

If employees desire, they are encouraged to request additional time beyond the paid leave provided by the Company. Any employee may take at least 12 weeks of family leave as protected by the Family and Medical Leave Act.