According to Lori Matloff Goler, Facebook’s head of human resources, the new benefit affects new fathers and parents in same-sex relationships outside of the U.S. Before the change, four months parental leave was available only to certain senior Facebook employees.
“We want to be there for our people at all stages of life, and in particular we strive to be a leading place to work for families,” Goler said. “An important part of this is offering paid parental leave, or baby leave.”
In her recent Facebook status, Goler also stated, “For too long, paid baby leave has been granted only to a mother who is giving birth. We believe that fathers and mothers alike deserve the same level of support when they are starting and growing a family, regardless of how they define family.”
The new policy defines time off for any of Facebook’s employees who are not just full-time, but expecting new additions to their families, regardless of the parent’s gender or where they live in the world. Parental leave is intended to allow parents time to bond with a new baby, and can be taken at any time up to a year after the baby’s birth.
Facebook’s four-month parental leave policy is part of a growing trend of companies providing working moms and dads more time to bond with children. While companies like Netflix have worked on providing extended leaves of absence for new parents, others have added other benefits useful to parents.
Last year, Fortune’s list of companies with the best perks for families included not just Facebook for its parental leave and $4,000 bonus cash, but also Google, Campbell Soup Co., and NetApp, which provide a range of parent-friendly benefits.
