Valerie Lynn
Author of The Mommy Plan, USA
Title: The Changes in Paid Maternity Leave Policies in the Public and Private Sectors in the United States: Expectations, Reality and Impact. Why It May Not be Enough?
Biography
Biography: Valerie Lynn
Abstract
Over the past two years there has been a significant focus on Maternity Leave policies in the United States trail-blazed by billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, Co-Founder of Facebook whose company was one of the first companies to offer extended paid maternity and paternity leave, which now stands at up to four months. This is due to Zuckerberg’s wife, Pricilla Chan, being of Chinese descent who chose to enjoy a more traditional recovery period after giving birth spending time at home. Several companies in the private sector, state, federal and as well as military have followed suit offering for 6 to 52 weeks of paid parental leave. This is also a strategic move in direct relation to stiff competition in the marketplace to attract and keep top talent. The question is, “Is paid maternity leave enough to ensure a productive, contributing employee returns?” In my opinion, it is not. This is only the first step. By providing employees the time and financial support required to welcome, take care of and incorporate a new member into a family is fundamental. However, this investment by the public and private sectors comes with high expectations. Will the ROI, Return on Investment, in paid maternity leave be met? If isn’t, will there be a roll back in maternity leave benefits over the next 5-10 years?