TLDR: 12 weeks paid time off regardless of parental role or gender
Flightcontrol’s paid Parental Leave is available for any active team member (regardless of gender) who becomes a parent through childbirth or adoption while working at Flightcontrol.
Flightcontrollers are encouraged to decide for themselves how much time they'd like to take and how to take it, but the entire 12-week Parental Leave balance must be used prior to the child's first birthday or the first anniversary of the adoption. For many reasons, you may require more time off. Any Flightcontroller can request additional unpaid leave.
You don't have to take your Parental Leave in one continuous period, we encourage you to plan and arrange your Parental Leave in a way that suits you and your family's needs. You may split your Parental Leave dates as you see fit, so long as all time is used prior to the child's first birth or first anniversary of the adoption event.
Statutory Parental Leave
Different countries may provide team members with their own statutory Parental Leave (including maternity/paternity) benefits. Please review your country's statutory Parental Leave benefits for more information on how to apply and tenure requirements (if applicable). If you live in a country where a statutory Parental Leave benefit is available, you will be required to claim statutory Parental Leave pay (if eligible), and Flightcontrol will supplement any gaps. When allowed by law Flightcontrol’s 12-week balance is per birth or adoption event per year and runs concurrently with these statutory benefits.
How to Initiate Your Parental Leave
You can share your news with your Manager whenever you feel comfortable, but you must inform your manager 2 months before your leave starts. For workload planning purposes we recommend communicating your plan to your manager 3 months or more before.
Easing Back Into Work
Returning to work after parental leave can be jarring if you're attempting to jump immediately back to 100%. Not only has your life changed dramatically with the expansion of your family, but you're reintegrating into a working world that has continued to progress in your absence. Merely catching up with months of work is a challenge unto itself, even without a new family member.
To alleviate the stress associated with returning to work after parental leave, Flightcontrol supports team members coming back at 50% capacity. Team members should discuss this option with their Manager (ideally prior to the start of the leave or a few weeks prior to returning from leave) and find a working schedule that works best for the team member and for their team. The general guideline (that can be approved by your Manager) is two to four weeks, but recognize that each reentry situation should be treated as a unique case to be discussed between the team member and their manager. The 50% figure should be viewed as a guide rather than an inflexible rule. Some team members may feel comfortable ramping more quickly, and that is OK.