Why 'family leave' policies like Netflix's are a sham
Netflix just announced it鈥檚 offering paid leave to new mothers and fathers for the first year after the birth of adoption of a child. Other high-tech firms are close behind.
Some big law firms are also getting into the act. Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe is offering聽聽off for both male and female attorneys.
Even Wall Street is taking baby steps in the direction of family-friendly work.听聽just doubled paid parental leave to聽.听
All this should be welcome news. Millennials now constitute the largest segment of the American work force. Many are just forming families, so the new family-friendly policies seem ideally timed.
But before we celebrate the dawn of a new era, keep two basic truths in mind.
First, these new policies apply only to a tiny group considered 鈥渢alent鈥� 鈥� highly educated and in high demand.
They鈥檙e getting whatever perks firms can throw at them in order to recruit and keep them.
鈥淣etflix鈥檚 continued success hinges on us competing for and keeping the most talented individuals in their field,鈥澛爏 Tawni Cranz, Netflix鈥檚 chief talent officer.
That Neflix has a 鈥渃hief talent officer鈥� tells you a lot.
Netflix鈥檚 new policy doesn鈥檛 apply to all Netflix employees, by the way. Those in Netflix鈥檚 DVD division aren鈥檛 covered. They鈥檙e not 鈥渢alent.鈥�
They鈥檙e like the vast majority of American workers 鈥� considered easily replaceable.
Employers treat replaceable workers as costs to be cut, not as assets to be developed.
Replaceable workers almost never get paid family leave, they get a few paid sick days, and barely any vacation time.
If such replaceables are eligible for 12 weeks of family leave it鈥檚 only because the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (which I am proud to have implemented when labor secretary under Bill Clinton) requires it.
But Family and Medical leave time doesn鈥檛 come with pay 鈥� which is why only 40 percent of eligible workers can afford to use it. And it doesn鈥檛 cover companies or franchisees with fewer than 50 employees.
Almost all other advanced nations provide three or four months paid leave 鈥� to fathers as well as mothers. Plus paid sick leave, generous vacation time, and limits on how many work hours employers can demand. 聽
The second thing to know about the new family-friendly work policies is that relatively few talented millennials are taking advantage of them.
They can鈥檛 take the time.
One of my former Berkeley students who鈥檚 now at a tech firm across the Bay told me he鈥檚 working fifteen-hour days.
Another, who鈥檚 at a Washington law firm, said she鈥檚 on call 24-7. Emails often arrive past midnight, followed by text messages asking why the emails haven鈥檛 been answered.
These young men won鈥檛 take paternity leave and these young women won鈥檛 even get pregnant 鈥� because it looks bad.
Forget work-life balance. It鈥檚 work-as-life.
A recent New York Times story about聽聽reports that when young workers hit the wall from the unrelenting pace, they鈥檙e told to climb it. 聽
Why do the talented millennials work so hard?
Partly because being promoted 鈥� getting more equity, running a division, making partner 鈥� promises such vast rewards. Vaster rewards than any generation before them has ever been offered. 聽
Also, you鈥檙e either on the fast track or you鈥檙e on a dead-end road.
鈥淚鈥檝e got to show total dedication,鈥� one of my former students explained. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all or nothing.鈥�
Which is why millennial men 鈥� who聽聽have more egalitarian attitudes about family and gender roles than their predecessors 鈥� are nonetheless聽聽to live up to their values once they hit the treadmills.
It鈥檚 also why women on such high-powered career tracks are delaying or ultimately giving up on being mothers.听
Or they鈥檙e giving up on the fast track.
After the collapse of 2000, the share of women working in high tech dropped sharply. And although tech recovered, female participation is still聽聽lower than in 1998.
If they鈥檙e lucky, women on the fast track can afford to buy their way to motherhood. Marissa Mayer, appointed Yahoo鈥檚 CEO while six months pregnant, was back at her desk two weeks later.
It鈥檚 possible for such women to have it all 鈥� to 鈥渓ean in鈥� as Sheryl Sandberg puts it 鈥� only because they have enough resources for 24-hour childcare, car service for the kids and nannies, and all the extra help needed.
I鈥檓 delighted Netflix and other high-powered firms are offering family-friendly work.
But I take most of it with a grain of silicon. So should you.听
