eBay grants US workers 12 weeks parental leave, adds benefits

NEW YORK — eBay said it will give its US employees 12 weeks of parental leave and will enhance maternity and disability benefits, following other prominent technology companies as they seek to attract and retain talent.

“Changes in the workforce and demographics in the US have made it increasingly important to provide workers with the flexibility and support they need to care for children or aging parents,” eBay said in a statement today (Dec 4).

The San Jose, California-based company also will provide two weeks of paid time off for new parents in some foreign countries where benefits aren’t already available. eBay didn’t specify where.

Most other big technology companies have either initiated or expanded parental leave as the debate grows over work-life balance. Only 12 per cent of US private-sector employees have access to any paid family leave through their jobs, according to the US Department of Labor. The US is the only nation in the developed world that doesn’t mandate maternity leave with pay.

Technology companies offer generous benefits compared with other industries because of competition for top talent.

Amazon.com, Netflix and Microsoft introduced or expanded their parental leave benefits earlier this year. Netflix will offer as much as one year of paid leave to new mothers and fathers. Amazon lengthened its paid maternity leave to 20 weeks and gave non-birth parents as many as six weeks. Microsoft said in August it would offer 12 weeks of paid time-off for all new parents. BLOOMBERG