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Comment by omarforgotpwd | Hacker News Reader

"With this in mind, today we’re introducing an unlimited leave policy for new moms and dads that allows them to take off as much time as they want during the first year after a child’s birth or adoption"

Ah, unlimited for a year. So no taking 30 years off after your child is born then.

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> So no taking 30 years off after your child is born then.

That's simple - just keep having children. Time it right and you can take off permanently for decades.

And yet virtually no ones does this.

After the first one or two most people start to fully understands the downsides of such a proposition.

A friend has 6 kids and I'm beginning to wonder what his company's pat/mat policy is...

So basically what Canadians and Europeans get?

It's paid by the government over there, not the company. Not sure about different places in Europe, but it's also not paid at 100% (at least in Canada)

As far as I'm aware in Canada you get 60% of your pay for a full year while on maternity leave. Many companies contribute the other 40% for at least 6 months of that time.

In Canada, if you're on maternity/paternity leave, you're on Employment Insurance. The maximum insurable amount is 49K or 55% of your earnings. Maximum payout is around 28K per year.

Mind you, Netflix has an unlimited time off policy, but today’s policy update is a clear reminder that the company wants the best talent.

I suspect many of these simply end up as less formal polices. However, there are large benefits to allowing for extended leave which few Americans actually use. It’s bad enough that some companies require people to take at least 2 weeks off every year.

My company has a policy requiring that individuals take at least one contiguous week of time off a year.

You've got to wonder what would happen if someone tried to take that full year off, then was fired for taking "too much" of their "unlimited (up to a year)" time off after having a child.

If they're an at-will employee in the US, probably nothing.

There's always a catch.

That's not a catch. This is unlimited maternity and paternity leave. If you don't have a new child it's not maternity and paternity leave anymore, it's just leave.

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