Netflix Announces Its New ‘Unlimited’ Maternity and Paternity Leave Program • Hacker News Board

Re: Netflix Announces Its New ‘Unlimited’ Maternity and Paternity Leave Program

#141

Post by mikeash » Wed, Aug 05, 2015, 3:38 PM UTC

relix42 wrote: post #125

mikeash wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honest question: why don't people just leave for months at a time? Is it because everyone understands that "unlimited" is actually "one month a year, more or less" or whatever the actual amount is?

I can speak for me and others I know rather well - I like what I do. I enjoy going to work, finding things to fix, and fixing them. There are those things that I don't enjoy doing, but, they're not the majority by a long shot. So, six months away wouldn't be that attractive. Along with the that, one of the tenets of the business is "Freedom and Responsibility". If you can be responsible taking six months off then you…

Maybe that's the difference. No matter how cool the company is (unless it's, say, SpaceX) I have a hard time imagining that the work would be more interesting than whatever I could come up with to do on my own. Which is probably a big part of why I don't work for a big company.

Re: Netflix Announces Its New ‘Unlimited’ Maternity and Paternity Leave Program

#142

Post by wesd » Wed, Aug 05, 2015, 3:44 PM UTC

someear wrote: post #40

izend wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So basically what Canadians and Europeans get?

It's paid by the government over there, not the company. Not sure about different places in Europe, but it's also not paid at 100% (at least in Canada)

In Canada, if you're on maternity/paternity leave, you're on Employment Insurance. The maximum insurable amount is 49K or 55% of your earnings. Maximum payout is around 28K per year.

Re: Netflix Announces Its New ‘Unlimited’ Maternity and Paternity Leave Program

#143

Post by abalone » Wed, Aug 05, 2015, 11:30 PM UTC

relix42 wrote: post #128

abalone wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I take more vacation now than I did when I had 2/3/4/5 weeks a year So, does that mean you take more than 5 weeks per year?

When I had 5 weeks ago I never took all of it. The environment didn't support it. It was very much the "here are 5 weeks of vacation we hope you won't use". Now I can a week or two here and there, a few days off, a long weekend, etc. It's my job to plan it out, balance my work, and go. Thinking back on last year (without going over my calendar) I'd estimate I took between 5 and 6 weeks of total time off.

I think the key point you make is that it depends more on the culture/environment than the policy. You can have a 5 week entitlement and still feel pressure not to take it. Or you might be able to take more than 5 weeks by going into "vacation debt" if your manager approves.

There's one distinction though: at least with a minimum entitlement you'll be compensated for unused vacation. (At least that's how it worked at a previous employer of mine.. it might even be the law?) So even if you feel pressure not to take it you'll get a nice payout. Not the case with "unlimited" vacation where nothing's on the books.