Family Planning & New Parent Support

Shea Nussman

Hey all,

I spoke with a few others on linkedin and would love to start some conversation here around what tools are being used to promote family planning conversations. 

I work for a series C company and currently don't know any other women (based in US) who have gone out for maternity leave. I'll note that there have been several of men leveraging this but no women ironically. I'm also curious around best practices or recommendations around "family planning" in heavily customer-facing roles in small/lean organizations. 

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts around company culture and benefits. Also, how they help (or hinder) individuals looking to address these huge family milestones. 

Thanks!

Shea Nussman

@Jeff Breunsbach - Curious about your perspective here and if this is not the community to have this conversation. Thanks!

Bri Adams

Hi @Shea Nussman, Really interesting question - and one I'm anxious to hear answers for!

I may be a bit turned around by your phrasing on "family planning" --  If you mean strictly what are company policies around parental leave for the birth/adoption/fostering of a child and how to support that absence internally, then I can share what our company (ChurnZero) does -- with a caveat, of course, that we may modify these benefits in the future, so it shouldn't be taken in stone.

ChurnZero recognizes that your family (and right to have a family) should be allowed to be a big priority in an employee's life, so we try to make it as easy as possible to make the decision to start a family (and know that you won't be penalized for doing so). We offer a certain number of paid weeks off for the birthing parent and for any other parent (slightly different amounts where birthing parent gets more weeks than non-birthing parent), and we get a plan in motion a few months before your planned time away so if something comes up unexpectedly, we're prepared and you don't have to feel any stress in regards to your job responsibilities. 

What kind of information are you looking for? Is your company in the early stages of putting a parental leave policy in place? 

Thanks!
Bri 

Shea Nussman

Bri, 

Thank you so much for your response!  Also, great to see this from a fellow DMVer.  

This is really helpful to see how other teams are handling these types of conversations. My employer does have a policy and likely will revisit it as well as we continue to scale - unlikely it will align with my personal family goals & timeline. 

I'm also interested in how ChurnZero has promoted a culture for working moms of newborns. I've learned with my nephew (NICU baby) that things often don't go as planned and would love to see the type of plan you use a few months in advance. Also, any other insights you can share for highly customer-facing teams considering pumping needs or unexpected appointments. We have a very heavy meeting company culture (both customer & internal) but thankfully I'm remote. 

Once again, I really appreciate you reaching out. I would have never guessed that there's a good chance I'll be the first woman in the States at a Series C company with over 200 employees to become pregnant!