Balancing Babies and Business: Parental Leave in the Modern Workplace

On today's episode of What's At Stake: A Penta Podcast, host Bryan DeAngelis is joined by Penta Strategy Partner Andrea Christianson, Senior Director Stephanie Walstrom, and Director Rustin Finkler to discuss their experiences with paid parental leave at different stages in their careers. 

The group talks about the importance of parental leave in both their personal and professional lives and shares advice for parents taking leave. As they highlight, paid parental leave is important to both establish a routine for growing families and allow professionals to stay in the workforce while managing family commitments. Parental leave for both moms and dads can encourage an equitable split of responsibility, both in the workforce and at home. 

Andrea, Stephanie, and Rustin consider how parental leave is critical to a healthy workforce both in the US and around the world, stressing the importance for companies to think critically about their leave policies for both parents in a modern, flexible workforce. As companies think about attracting and retaining talent, parental leave is a key consideration and signal for how employers value their employees. In the age of hybrid work, open conversations around family responsibilities and childcare are important to allow working parents to prioritize their home responsibilities while remaining engaged at work.

Additional resources:

• Center on Budget Policy Priorities: A National Paid Leave Program Would Help Workers, Families
• Brookings: Paid leave as fuel for economic growth
• McKinsey and Company: A fresh look at paternity leave: Why the benefits extend beyond the personal