<aside> 🎉 The most exciting ride of your life is about to start!... At Mockingbird, our mission as a company is to empower parents, which includes the parents within our company, too!

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Having a diverse team with balanced lives is something we value deeply, and it's critical that our Parental Leave Policy is a reflection of that priority. So in designing our policy, there were a few specific considerations we kept in mind:

Our Parental Leave Policy is intended to...

... be inclusive and non-gendered. In our eyes, there is no such thing as a “primary” or “secondary” caregiver. If you are a parent welcoming a new child into your family (whether through birth, adoption, or foster placement), this policy applies to you.
... be flexible for different needs. We designed our policy to let team members customize their leave based on their family and personal preference.
... incorporate both data and learned experience. We spent a long time conducting research and speaking with parents to determine the ways in which our policy could most effectively support the process of welcoming a new addition to the family.
... contribute to a culture of empathy for parents at Mockingbird. We're committed to making Mockingbird a positive, comfortable, welcoming place for parents. This Parental Leave Policy is part of our starting foundation, and we'll continue to review and evolve as we grow.
... be transparent and available. We make our policy readily available both to current and potential team members. Regardless of family status, everyone should be empowered with the details of our parental program, and shouldn't have to share personal plans or details in order to learn about it.

Mockingbird's Parental Leave Policy

Paid Leave

Parental Leave for Mockingbird team members who welcome a child (whether through birth, adoption or foster placement) is 16 weeks of 100% paid leave. You're encouraged to take the full 16 weeks, and have the flexibility to use all leave at once or break it up into increments within one year of your child’s arrival to your family (first birthday or first anniversary of adoption/foster placement). We also offer 4 weeks of unpaid additional time for those who want more flexibility.

If eligible, statutory Family Medical Leave leave will run concurrently with your Mockingbird Parental Leave, except as otherwise required by law. Please reach out to the Support Team at Justworks with any state-specific questions.

Managers at Mockingbird are also equipped with a guide specifically designed to help you collaborate on building a plan together to feel prepared, organized, and comfortable with your Parental Leave.

Transition Time

Preparing for a child to join your family is an exciting and busy time! We understand it comes with a variety of different physical, mental and emotional experiences, and we want to be sure you're given the flexibility needed to prepare for your new addition. So you have the option to start your Parental Leave up to two weeks before your child's expected arrival date (but it's entirely up to you!).

Shadow Return

Similarly, transitioning back to work after healing from birth and/or bonding with a child can be a challenging adjustment. We want to offer you the time and space to transition back smoothly once you’re back online.