'Our employees do their best work when they feel seen and supported'
In an effort to give its Canadian employees more support as parents, Pinterest recently announced a new suite of benefits offerings
“One of the reasons that we’re taking this huge step forward is that we really feel that our employees do their best work when they feel seen and supported, to be themselves and to be part of a workplace that is inclusive and inspiring,” says Alice Vichaita, head of global benefits and mobility at Pinterest in San Francisco.
“We’re also inspired by our employees, who have taken on the monumental roles of becoming parents, and we really feel that it is in our company culture and values to support them as part of their journey to parenthood.”
There are also legal considerations for employers when it comes to accommodating parents, says one legal expert.
‘Bonding leave’
The social media company is providing more time off in the form of 20 weeks of “bonding leave” for birthing parents and non-birthing parents says Vichaita, which is up from 17 weeks.
As well, for those parents who unfortunately have newborns in NICU (neonatal intensive care unit), they are providing 12 weeks of paid leave, which is separate from the regular leave, says Vichaita.
“We want them to have the time and space to be able to spend the time to care for their baby in the hospital, by providing a way to support them during that period and that would also allow them to pause their 20 weeks of bonding leave, so that the time the baby’s spending in the hospital is not being deducted or taken away from their bonding period.”
The employer is also offering in vitro fertilization (IVF) coverage, which was previously only available to U.S. employees, and egg freezing.
Alice Vichaita
“It will allow women to opt to freeze their eggs as part of the fertility benefits, [allowing] for the appropriate time for them to meet the right person and appropriate time for them to start a family,” says Vichaita.
Only five per cent of employers in Canada offer coverage for both fertility drugs and other fertility costs, such as in IVF procedures and testing, according to a report from Fertility Matters Canada.
Normalizing tough conversations
With these new offerings, the company hopes to “normalize” some of the tough conversations that parents might need, says Vichaita, as those who suffer a miscarriage during pregnancy can take four weeks of paid leave.
“A lot of times, people are suffering in silence, and they may feel isolated going through this journey themselves. And being really intentional in having a policy such as this, we really tried to help normalize those type of conversations and just bring to light a lot of these types of experiences that folks may have, less pleasant experiences, [that] maybe folks don’t talk about enough,” she says.
A recent survey showed that many employers are not providing the right benefits for workers but one major Canadian bank has boosted its mental health offerings.
