New parents working at The Dow Chemical Company now receive increased paid leave after the birth of a child, according to an article from Crain’s Detroit Business. Mothers receive a minimum of 12 weeks paid leave, while non-birthing parents get 2 weeks. Previously, the company offered six to eight weeks and one week respectively. Dow’s policy for adoptive parents remains the same – four weeks of paid time off and some expense reimbursement. Although more U.S. employers are expanding their parental leave policies, particularly in Silicon Valley where competition for new employees is fierce, the United States still lags behind other countries in this regard.
According to the article, the leave can be taken in the 12 months after a child’s birth and all Dow employees are eligible worldwide. The policy started this month in the U.S. and will be phased in throughout the year internationally. The company indicates that it’s too soon to say how the leave policy will be managed after Dow’s merger with DuPont is complete.
Read the entire article here.
