By Meta Careers
Family and community is important to us at Facebook. When it comes to parental leave we offer four months of paid leave to all employees who are new parents. “Paid parental or "baby" leave is an important part of how we support our employees and the people who matter most to them. We offer moms and dads the same level of support when they are starting and growing a family, regardless of how they define family,” said Lori Goler, Head of People at Facebook in a recent post.
To celebrate Father’s day, we asked a few dads at Facebook to talk about their parental leave stories. Thank you to all the dads for sharing and happy Father's Day to all!
What were your initial thoughts around taking parental leave at Facebook?
"It’s been a roller coaster ride of many highs and lows. We spent months preparing for the exciting arrival of our beautiful son but the truth is that you can never really be prepared for parenthood. I had concerns about balancing my work and home life, whether I would be able to support my wife in our new role as parents, and whether I would be a good father. The last three months have been a blur since I became father." — Matt K, Production Network Engineer
"I thought that the business might be affected if I was not present. And that our strong momentum, and the terrific performance we've had during the past 12 months, could be affected as well. The great thing is that I have the best team and they supported my paternity leave entirely. This is what makes me the happiest, professionally speaking. I can’t thank my team enough!" — Rodrigo G., Sales Manager
What is the importance of parental leave?
"Paternity leave was immensely important to me personally, and to my entire family. The moments we spent together were unlike any other in my life. Spending so much time with my son during that first year when everything changes on a daily basis was pure joy. Rom and I bonded in a way that wouldn't have been possible otherwise and it was fantastic to spend more time with my wife especially with the new addition to our lives." — Dan B., Product Manager
"Before my leave, I would have said that paternity leave was important to family, but I never really imagined how VITAL paternity leave is before I took this time. I have a level of comfort with my daughter that is only gained through solid blocks of time spent with her. I started to learn what my strengths and weaknesses are as a parent, how far my patience could be stretched, and how to express my needs to my partner." — Trevor S., Administrative Assistant
"Family is the most important priority in life, and having the opportunity to spend high quality time with my wife and newborn was a big motivator. We are lucky to have the opportunity to be part of those important moments." — Christian P., Client Partner
"I recently joined the Parents Advisory Committee at my son’s daycare and I'm the only dad out of 12 parents. Men want to be more and more engaged with their children. They are showing an interest in their children’s lives and being attentive to the little details of their families. As part of the internal Dads@facebook club, I want to spread awareness on how dads can be more involved in raising their children which will benefit a child’s cognitive, emotional, social, and physical health. Paternity leave also enables moms to pursue their passions and careers. I cannot thank my team and Facebook as a company enough for giving me this opportunity." — Vivek P., Global Solutions Partner
“ "Family is the most important priority in life, and having the opportunity to spend high quality time with my wife and newborn was a big motivator." ”
In what way do you feel Facebook supported you during parental leave?
"Having four months of parental leave is HUGE. I was able to focus on my family with peace-of-mind. This focus would have been impossible if my head was “stuck at work”." — Andre G., Agency Partner
"Facebook not only gave me the leave itself but allowed me to choose how I would take it, allowing me to spend time with my (first) son but also allowing me to keep things working for my team and taking care of them. It's impossible to explain how valuable this was for me and how important it was to me to be able to help my wife. This made us a happier family and made us feel even more connected to each other." — Artur S., Solutions Engineering Manager
"The first couple of months is when you come together as a family and realize that your world just completely changed with brand new priorities and the little one is completely dependent on you being there. There is no substitute to spending quality time together and learning how to work as a team, emerging ‘better together’ on the other side. I would not do it any other way than take time off to focus on home." — Ashwin, Head of Publisher AdTech
Stay Connected!
- Learn about Life at Facebook on Instagram via @facebooklife.
- Join our Facebook Careers Talent Community Page for the latest updates.
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