Protective Life offering paid parental leave to mothers, fathers
March 22, 2018 by William Thornton
Birmingham’s Protective Life Corp. is offering a new paid parental leave benefit for employees.
The new benefit means both mothers and fathers of newborns and newly adopted children will be eligible for up to six weeks of paid parental leave at 100 percent of their pay.
The company said in a news release that the benefit “aims to provide meaningful support, as well as financial stability, to parents welcoming a new child.” It goes into effect on April 1.
As a whole, Protective’s leave of absence benefit offerings, including paid parental leave, short-term disability and leave provided under the Family Medical Leave Act, provide up to 12 to 14 weeks of leave at 100 percent pay for delivering mothers.
President and CEO Rich Bielen said the company believes “investing in our talent and culture is one of the smartest things we can do to reinforce our commitment to employees and ensure our continued success.”
“We also understand that the birth or adoption of a child can be one of the most exciting and challenging times in our employees’ lives,” Bielen said. “As we strive to be a great place to work for our employees, we hope our new paid parental leave benefit will provide valuable support through this time of transition.”
Earlier this year, Protective raised its minimum wage to $15 an hour across its employee base and paid a special $1,000 bonus to approximately 75 percent of its employees.
