Starbucks will be adding more paid time off for employees who become new parents.
The company announced Monday that birth mothers will now get up to 18 weeks of leave at full pay and nonbirth parents, including those who adopt, will get 12 weeks of leave at full pay.
The new policy doubles the parental leave for Starbucks workers in the U.S.
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"No other retailer offers a better parental leave benefit for new parents," the company said in a statement. "Our benefit was already the best in retail, but after hearing from some partners who shared the leave as new parents wasn’t adequate, we reviewed the program and have decided we’re making a change."
According to a recent analysis from Great Place to Work, the average number of weeks for maternity leave in the U.S. is 10 and the average paternity leave is one week — but it greatly depends on where individuals work.
Only 27% of employees in the U.S. have access to paid parental leave, the analysis stated.
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which workers only qualify if they've clocked 1,250 hours at a large company, entitles workers to 12 weeks of unpaid parental leave.
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