How To Ask About Parental Leave During A Job Interview

Because there are many uncertainties in the process of building a family, most of us don’t disclose pregnancy or possible adoption right away, especially to potential employers. We want privacy to know our schedule before we make an official announcement. ) There is also fear. Although the law prohibits employers from discriminating against pregnancy in employment, in practice such cases are very difficult to prove.

If you are considering a career change or are currently looking for a job, you should consider your organization’s parental leave policy when making your decision. But according to a survey conducted by theSkimm, 60% of job seekers, most of them female, were hesitant to ask about time off during the interview process.

The Huffington Post spoke with a number of hiring experts on how to get the information you need without taking unnecessary risks. Here are some of their recommendations:

Sometimes you can find an answer to a question without having to bring it up during the interview.

“I recommend no one Applying for a job without first researching the company’s family and medical leave policies and practices,” said Amy Beacom, founder and CEO of the Center for Parental Leave Leadership and co-author of “The Parental Leave Playbook.” he told HuffPost.

All job seekers should look beyond salary ranges when considering a position. “Good companies spend an additional 30-40% on benefits packages,” he explains Beacom. “If you have or plan to take care of someone – a baby, a sick relative, yourself or a parent – ​​you need strong family and medical leave benefits combined with flexible work options.”

There are many places where you can find this information online. Career coach Becca Carnahan told The Huffington Post: “Some companies publish this information on their websites, or find it on ‘Best Workplaces’ rankings or on sites like The Muse, Fairygodboss and Glassdoor. I can,” he said.

TheSkimm’s “Show Us Your Leave” campaign is another potential source. There you can learn about vacation policies of over 500 companies and organizations.

If you’ve been contacted by a recruiter, find the job posting on Indeed.com or LinkedIn. Liz Ryan, CEO and founder of Human Workplace, told The HuffPost.

Some job seekers have reservations about asking about benefits, but Ryan recommends overcoming this hesitation given the far-reaching implications of your decisions.

“Actually, getting a job affects the person more than the company. Obviously, when someone gets a job, it’s 100% of their income,” she said. “It becomes part of their brand and their work affects their mental health, their physical health, their relationships, etc. So they want to really vette that employer. Check them out.” please.”

Asking directly about parental leave sends the message that you are thinking of having children. Again, employers are not permitted to use this information in hiring decisions, but it would be very difficult to construct a case that you were discriminated against. I could easily say that someone was more qualified.

Asking directly can put you at risk, so attorney Daphne Delvaux told The HuffPost.

Delvaux provided the following phrasing: I know more and more companies in this industry that offer paid leave, bereavement leave, family wedding leave, sick leave, parental leave, and other types of benefits. ”

Another way to approach the question is by comparison. Carnahan suggests: What has your company changed to stand out like this?”

If your company’s website has values ​​that refer to caring for your employees, you can even lead it. Carnahan said: Can you tell us how its value has been demonstrated within your organization?”

Yet another strategy is to mention the pandemic. Beacom gives the following example: What can you tell us about them? If you don’t mind, what is your own personal experience with them? ”

It’s natural to expect potential employers to announce benefits and vacations soon. “If a company doesn’t share information publicly, or is clearly uncomfortable when faced with questions, that’s a red flag,” he said Carnahan.

“You are also interviewing for a company and your time is precious,” she said. “Ask questions throughout the research and interview stages to find out if the company fits your needs and values. No one wants to know what isn’t.”

Suppose someone tells you: We had too much to do,” says Carnahan. Even if you have a vacation policy, if most people aren’t getting the vacation time they are allowed, it’s an indication that your company’s culture may not actually be family-friendly.

As you work your way up the hiring process ladder, you’ll probably talk first with your recruiter or HR screener, then with your future manager.Ryan asks for a copy of your employee handbook or a copy of it protected property, at least information about employee benefits. If they bark, that’s another warning sign.

“This accounts for parental leave, different types of leave, all benefits,” says Ryan. “That handbook is a window into the entrepreneurial spirit, right? You can see not only their policies, but how they think, how they think, how they see their relationships with their employees.”

Remember, job hunting isn’t just about selling yourself. The company should also sell you.

“Applicants are under no legal obligation to voluntarily provide information that they have or want children,” said Delvaux.

If someone asks you during the hiring process if you plan to have children, Ryan suggests saying something vague about not having any concrete plans or letting things take over the universe.

“Being a parent is not a protected class in the workplace. “Such questions are prohibited in some states, such as California, but not at the federal level,” Delvaux said. You will need to prove that you were denied a job because of sexism, which is probably difficult. The frustration is that such questions are rarely asked to male candidates.

You’re in a better position as a pregnant employee than a pregnant candidate, Delvaux explained. The time to do so is after the job has been signed. It was also recommended to disclose

From the perspective of federal parental leave law, the Family Medical Leave Act entitles workers to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for “certain family and medical reasons,” including maternity, adoption, or placement in foster care. I am giving You will not be fired for this leave of absence. Note, however, that the FMLA only applies to employers with more than her 50 employees, and she must have been with the employer for 12 months to take advantage of this benefit.

In some cases, if you’re confident in marketing yourself, you might decide to talk openly about things like family and parenting plans.

However, we are under no obligation to make such disclosures. Depending on your hiring process, that may not even make sense. If the interviewee is an employee of an outside company and not your direct manager, it may make more sense to refrain from making such statements.

“I recommend never revealing your plans to start a family. Unless you need time off to continue your fertility treatments, she recommended waiting until you’re pregnant and telling your employer.

“If you are currently pregnant, or are in the process of adopting a child and this child could be born within a year, of course you don’t have to say you are pregnant. A job offer will come.” You can wait and tell your employer when you are ready, but like FMLA benefits, you may not be eligible for paid or job protection leave until you reach a certain number of months at your company. Note that this will start after 1 year.

Until companies are required to explain the benefits of vacation in their job postings, Beacom believes it’s important that all candidates ask questions about vacation, regardless of age or gender identity.

“This has the added benefit of helping companies combat the unconscious bias that retirement policies are only about women of a certain age,” she said. , says a lot about work culture and whether the company is a people-friendly workplace for all employees.”