American Express announced this week that starting January 1st, their parental leave and infertility treatment benefits will be drastically changing for the better for their employees. The company previously had caps on their health plan for infertility benefits and a short parental leave only for employees who gave birth. However, with their new plan both male and female employees will receive up to 20 weeks of fully paid parental leave following giving birth, adopting, or having a child through Surrogacy. Additionally, the company will be giving their employees up to $35,000 for adoption or Surrogacy; plus an additional $35,000 for any infertility treatments.
Kevin Cox, the Chief Human Resources Officer for American Express stated that this new policy would allow American Express to more completely support their employees’ being parents. He went on to say that:
“Clearly, it’s not getting any easier to juggle personal and professional [responsibilities],” Cox told Fortune. He also says there’s “a diversity dimension at play,” as the new policy could appeal to female and LGBTQ workers in particular.
American Express is only one of the major companies that are changing their parental leave policies to include both male and female employees. These new policies will only make it easier on men and women alike to have a highly skilled job while also having a family.
For more information on American Express’ new benefits go to Fortune’s article.