Written by Amy Ralls | Feb 1, 2019 5:00:00 AM
New enhanced parental leave options and access to back-up care program January 29, 2019 - Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck has expanded its employee benefit programs to offer enhanced medical and parental leave for childbirth, pregnancy and adoption, as well as access to a back-up care program. “Our firm is only successful if we continue to recruit, retain, develop and promote our talented people who deliver excellent results for our clients,” said
Adam Agron, managing partner at Brownstein. “In order to maintain this standard of excellence, competitive benefits packages that offer our employees the tools they need to manage the many demands on their time are necessary. Our industry can be stressful and time intensive, with high expectations for delivering for our clients. At the same time, we want our employees to feel supported at all phases of their personal and professional lives, particularly at those pivotal moments when their lives outside the office require additional investment of time and energy.” Under the firm’s gender-neutral policy, attorneys and policy professionals who have completed one year of employment are now eligible for up to six weeks of paid pregnancy-related medical leave, an additional 14 weeks of paid parental leave, plus an additional four weeks of unpaid parental leave, for a total of up to 24 weeks of paid and unpaid leave combined. Similarly, staff who have completed one year of employment are eligible for up to six weeks of paid pregnancy-related medical leave, an additional four weeks of paid parental leave, plus an additional six weeks of unpaid parental leave, for a total of up to 16 weeks of paid and unpaid leave combined. These policies cover anyone who was on, or begins, an eligible leave on or after January 1, 2019. Additionally, effective March 1, 2019, the firm is creating a customized suite of benefit plans, including priority access to daycare facilities, back-up child care, elder care, pet care, tutoring and general babysitting. The back-up care can either take place in a high-quality child care center or in-home with screened caregivers. Brownstein will cover the majority of the cost of such care, with employees paying only a nominal hourly co-pay. This expanded benefits package builds upon the Transitions Matter suite of programs introduced by the firm in 2018 for attorneys and policy professionals, including a reduced billable hours requirement following parental leave and a reduced work schedule policy. “We are committed to supporting our employees during these transitional moments and will continue to evaluate additional opportunities to ensure that our employees have all the resources they need to continue to thrive personally and professionally,” said Agron.