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by ezyjules 3340 days ago
I'm pretty immersed in the field of parental leave benefits in the US and UK, having setup Pledge Parental Leave www.pledgepl.org. Important to get the full perspective on the market in the US. You're taking a crap on a company with extremely progressive benefits across the board, furthermore so, one offering them at a 'meager' size of 50, where the relative cost is much greater than compared to a 'large' company.

It is very easy to make simple comparisons between UK and European standards vs US standards. The fact is that there is almost zero government funding/support for parental leave in the US. The US is the only developed country in the world without any government mandated parental leave standards.

What Basecamp offer in terms of paid leave to either parent is top tier in the US. If you take a look at Facebook, Google and others they offer close to similar benefits - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Ibj79Eh8Cvk4Wy_dPZNc...

In the US, any company stepping up in this area is doing so of its own volition and cost - again the government gives a company zero funding. In the UK, German, Sweden etc they pick up most of the tab of extended leave. In the US, the only form of support is for mothers through expensive health insurance for the 'disability' of having a child. So before you engage in moral relativism, it's healthy to get the context and the facts. Check out http://www.pledgepl.org if you want to clue up or help fix this situation.
1 comments
duncan_bayne 3339 days ago
Language matters in this case, especially when you're in an advocacy role.

"The government... pick[s] up most of the tab of extended leave" is simply not true. Other taxpayers - including other parents - pick up the tab.

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ezyjules 3339 days ago
Yes, point well made. This is how taxes work. In this case I was highlighting that the company itself does not have to cover the majority.
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duncan_bayne 3339 days ago
Sure - because that burden has been pushed, in part, onto its staff.

I know it may seem pedantic but phrases like "Government funding", "free", and "entitlements" muddy the waters when discussing the morality of policies.

Is the same as hearing "the US Government declared war on North Korea". Sounds much more heroic than it'd wind up being. At least, since Davy Crockett died ;)

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