VIBE Awards 2022: Best Companies for Parental Benefits

A father kissing his baby as she is held by her mother — Geber86/Getty Images

Almost 90% of families with children have one working parent; that number increases to almost 96% when talking about married couples with kids, according to 2021 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s a lot of parents in the workforce—many of whom have faced immense challenges over the last few years. (Most moms and dads will never forget the struggles of remote school or lack of childcare.) Now, maybe more than ever, there’s a need for employee benefits designed to help parents maintain work-life balance—and the companies on this list are providing just that, and then some.

Parental benefits is just one of the seven perk and benefits categories we highlight in the 2022 VIBE Awards. “VIBE” stands for “voted in by employees.” As the name suggests, our methodology combined our own data as well as votes from employees, who ranked the strength of their company’s perks and benefits. Each category includes winners and honorable mentions for small (up to 250 employees), medium (251 to 5,000), and large (more than 5,000) companies.

One important way companies can support parents is by having generous paid parental leave policies. Take Good Apple, a winner in the small-sized business category, which offers 16 weeks paid time off. One employee says, “I’ve had two children while working at Good Apple. The benefit of having four months leave with full pay is such a gift. This removes any financial stress from such a beautiful bonding period.”

Flatiron Health, a medium-sized company, provides 16 weeks of paid leave for both birth and non-birth parents. “Parental leave at Flatiron is very generous. I never felt pressure to return or fear of being replaced while I was gone,” says an employee.

And in the large company category, Biogen stood out for many reasons, including its back-up (and subsidized) on-site childcare. Take it from this employee: “I have really appreciated the generous back-up childcare, which has saved me on a couple of occasions when I found myself without care for my daughter at the last moment. I also really love having the Parents Networking Group. They host really helpful discussions that connect parents. I always learn something and find comfort in the community.”

Read on for the full list of winners in the parental benefits category.

Small Companies

Good Apple

Who they are: An independent ad agency that works with clients in a range of industries, from fashion to healthcare.

What employees are saying: “Even after 16 weeks, I didn’t feel ready to come back, so I requested some extra unpaid time off, which was granted to me. It was so nice (and anxiety-relieving as a new mom) to be able to spend those first several months with my baby and watch him grow.”

Momnt

Who they are: This fintech company offers a platform to businesses and consumers that streamlines digital lending and payments.

What employees are saying: “I worked at the company for only nine months before needing to take leave and they still honored full maternity benefits of three months fully paid leave. They have also been super gracious in easing me back into work after returning.”

Simon Data

Who they are: Simon Data is a customer data platform that helps companies drive marketing results.

What employees are saying: “The unlimited PTO and understanding culture allows me to care for my special needs kids while working full time as a single parent. So grateful.”

Honorable Mention: Bowery Farming

Honorable Mention: InterVenn Biosciences

Honorable Mention: Stride

Medium Companies

Flatiron Health

Who they are: The healthtech company is focused on accelerating cancer research and improving patient care.

What employees are saying: “Flatiron has 16 weeks of paid leave for non-birthing parents, which you can use all at once or spread out in the first two years of your child’s life. This allowed me to really have time to bond with my newborn and child in a way that wouldn’t be available to me as a dad at many other companies!”

Opendoor

Who they are: This real estate company has built a digital, end-to-end customer experience that simplifies the process of buying and selling a home.

What employees are saying: “I love seeing my male peers get paternity leave. When my kids were born my partner got a week off using his earned vacation. I also appreciate Opendoor’s new policy on medical travel for procedures not performed in the state.”

Stack Overflow

Who they are: This online platform provides a community for programmers, where they can learn, share knowledge, and network with each other.

What employees are saying: “As someone intending to grow my family slightly later in life, knowing Stack explicitly covers and supports treatments such as IVF without limitation lifts a huge source of stress and worry from me. It’s incredible and more companies should do it.”

Honorable Mention: Dolby

Honorable Mention: DTCC

Large Companies

Autodesk

Who they are: This design software company provides CAD and 3D modeling programs to businesses in a variety of industries.

What employees are saying: “The generous parental benefits are helping me prepare for the future. I don’t have children now, but it’s nice knowing that when I do decide to, I’ll be at a company that cares.”

Biogen

Who they are: This biotech company researches, develops, and distributes therapies for neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.

What employees are saying: “One of Biogen’s amazing parental benefits is Bright Horizons College Counseling. This allows high school students and their parents to meet with college advisors, attend workshops, create a customized college list, and receive essay reviews. It is a terrific benefit that saves a great deal of my time.”

KinderCare Learning Companies

Who they are: KinderCare operates more than 1,400 early education and childcare centers around the U.S.

What employees are saying: “I have not utilized benefits personally, but have an in-depth knowledge of our offerings and have seen so many colleagues come to work with their children or new babies after maternity leave—and at a discounted rate!”