On Tuesday, Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, announced that Facebook’s bereavement leave policy is changing. Additionally, their leave policy to care short-term and long-term for an ill family member is also changing. This comes on the heels of many other benefit changes in the tech industry and beyond, such as extended paid maternity or parental leave, flexible time off policies, and volunteer time off. As a whole, all of these changing benefits reflect the attitudes and desires of a changing workforce, driven largely by millennial employees.
Facebook’s new policy allows for 20 days off for bereavement for an immediate family member and 10 days off for an extended family member. They have also added a six week paid leave policy per year to care for an ailing family member. Additionally, employees are allowed three days of paid sick time to take care of a family member with a short-term illness.
Sandberg, who lost her husband Dave Goldberg in 2015, shared her thoughts on the new policy.
“People should be able both to work and be there for their families,” said Sandberg. “No one should face this trade-off. We need public policies that make it easier for people to care for their children and aging parents and for families to mourn and heal after loss.”
Further, she raved about Facebook’s new policy while encouraging other companies to follow suit.
“Companies that stand by the people who work for them do the right thing and the smart thing - it helps them serve their mission, live their values, and improve their bottom line by increasing the loyalty and performance of their workforce,” said Sandberg.
Tech companies have often led the way on expanding benefits to accommodate changing demands for potential candidates. As these companies lay the foundation for the future of work, other organizations are taking notice.
These changes are often implemented as companies aim to attract and retain millennial talent. Benefit policies such as flexible time off, volunteer time off, maternity leave and bereavement leave all revolve around how employees spend their time and interact with their families.
“Workers always craved the human factor,” said Linda Sharkey PhD, Co-Author of the Future Proof Workplace and CEO of Tomlin Sharkey and Associates, a leadership and cultural transformation company. “That is a condition of being human. Employers of the past believed in control or people would be lazy and not produce. The employer wielded the power through controls and a paycheck.”
Millennials are known for their authenticity and their desire to bring their true self to work. They often note that they want to be the same person at work that they are after hours. These type of policies give them permission to do just that.
While it may be subtler than extended maternity leave policies, Facebook’s new bereavement policy can impact millennials everywhere as other organizations review what guidelines are appropriate for their employees.
Millennials are known for prioritizing their personal lives, especially their family time. Bereavement leave, while a sad event, allows millennials to properly grieve lost family members and remain committed to their work, without having to choose between the two.
“Only 60 percent of private sector workers in the United States get paid time off after the death of a loved one and usually just a few days,” shared Sandberg.
Facebook has led the way, but other companies may follow suit as they see the response from millennial talent to this generous policy. This is something that should be celebrated by all millennials and other generations as policies become more generous and humane.
