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Facebook expands parental leave policy to include employees outside the US

Facebook expands parental leave policy to include employees outside the US

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Last week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he plans to take two months off after the birth of his daughter, echoing the tech industry's recent investment in paid parental leave. That two months is half of Facebook's current policy, which allows some new parents in the US to take up to four months off. Now Facebook is expanding that policy to include all new parents in the company who work full-time, regardless of gender or location.

Beginning in 2016

The change "primarily affects new fathers and people in same-sex relationships outside the US," according to Facebook's head of human resources, Lori Matloff Goler.

Facebook is the most recent major tech company to greatly improve or expand its parental leave policy. This past summer Netflix announced a new unlimited maternity and paternity leave policy. Shortly after, Amazon announced it would be implementing its first-ever paternal leave policy for new birth and adoptive fathers.

That Zuckerberg is taking advantage of Facebook's policy is a good sign that other new fathers in the company will feel comfortable taking time off, and now that comfort can ripple outside the US. The benefits will apply to employees beginning January 1st, 2016.