When you’re looking for a new job — whether seriously or just day-dreaming — what that job can offer a current or future parent is often an important part of the decision.
Thankfully, plenty of companies based in Seattle or with big offices here seem to understand that. Some of them offer a slew of ways to make life as a working parent easier, and the transition from office to home and back again as simple as possible.
From paying for babysitters when your kid is sick to shipping your breast milk home when you travel, these are the companies that seem to understand the pull between parenting and a career — and want to ease it.
Microsoft
The software giant has one of the most generous leave policies, giving 20 fully paid weeks to birth mothers and 12 to other new parents, including those who adopt or foster (adoptive parents also get $10,000 toward expenses).
Full-time employees are also eligible for up to three fertility treatments, as well as genetic testing and freezing of eggs or embryos and storage for up to four years, even for non-fertility-related issues.
All parents receive a “Welcome Baby Box” with a blanket and other gifts from the company. Once back at work, Microsoft provides mothers’ rooms with hospital-grade breast pumps. They also offer subsidized backup childcare for up to 150 hours each year and an autism/ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) therapy benefit for parents with children on the autism spectrum or with learning or behavioral challenges.
Zillow Group
The online real estate database starts their new parents out on the right foot with 16 weeks of maternity leave or eight weeks for any non-delivering parents — plus $1,000 of “Baby Bucks” to purchase any essentials. That includes adoptive parents, who also can get up to $10,000 per employee covered in expenses related to the adoption process.
They also cover infertility treatments in all of their healthcare plans. Once back in the office, they have fully equipped mothers’ rooms with hospital-grade pumps and fridges, and any nursing mothers traveling for business get their milk shipped home for free.
On top of that, they get 15 days of backup childcare.
Starbucks
While most of the mega-perks come from tech companies, this local coffee company offers benefits like their infertility treatment and $12,000 adoption expense reimbursement across the company.
Birth mothers working at least 20 hours a week get six weeks of paid leave, and that goes up to 12 weeks for all new parents who work at the headquarters.
Once back at work, Starbucks offers all employees 10 subsidized days of backup care each year.
McGraw-Hill Education
With a digital education hub in Seattle, MHE offers their potential and current parents a few cool benefits, starting from up to $55,000 in coverage for fertility treatments.
For adoptive parents, they offer a $10,000 reimbursement for expenses, and all parents get four weeks of fully paid parental leave, while moms can take another 10–12 weeks of fully paid disability.
They offer 30 days of low-cost backup childcare for the first year and 15 after that, plus daycare discounts, access to an online caregiver database, and $1,000 college scholarships available to children of employees.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Gates Foundation made a splash in 2015 when they announced that they were giving all parents 52 weeks of fully paid parental leave. However, as of this April, they’re editing the plans based on the difficulties that arose.
Impressively, the company remains at the leading edge. They’ll still offer six months of paid leave, plus offer a $20,000 stipend to help with child care.
Famous for its CEO taking the full four months of paternity leave, offered for any parent of any type, Facebook also offers great care benefits, including subsidized day care and a $4,000 “new child benefit.”
For hopeful parents, they partner with a company to offer employees fertility treatment, egg and sperm freezing and surrogacy assistance.
Trupanion
This pet insurance company takes as good care of employees’ human children as their furry ones. In fact, Trupanion offers employees free onsite childcare for one child, newborn through age 4! Not only do parents save money on daycare, but they also get to have their babies with them right in the building.
Amazon
Amazon offers employees who work 30+ hours a week a huge array of parental leave options, including four fully paid weeks pre-birth plus 10 post-partum for the birth mom, and six weeks for all other parents.
They also are allowed to “share” their leave, meaning that if a partner isn’t eligible for leave, Amazon will pay the partner’s base salary while they take the time off. Employees also get an eight-week “ramp back” period of flexible schedule.
Adoptive parents can get up to $5,000 reimbursed for adoption expenses, and fertility benefits are also covered. During the leave period, Amazon offers “MyAmbassadors” to help parents while they take the time off.
Once back, the mothers' rooms across sites have locking doors, sinks, refrigerators and hospital-grade breast pumps. Plus, breast milk shipping is considered a reimbursable business travel expense.
Outreach
This Seattle start-up focuses on retaining new moms, and it shows in their benefits. After 10 weeks of paid maternity leave or four of paternity, the company supports new parents with a company night nurse during the work week for eight weeks after returning to work, plus dinner delivery twice-weekly during the same period of time.
