IBM on New List of Best Companies for New Dads

A lifestyle guide for young parents has released a new report, the "50 Best Places to Work for New Dads." It's not surprising that New York is home to many of the companies that Fatherly highlights. And now the Hudson Valley gets a piece of the action as IBM has made the annual list for the first time.

Looking for the best paternity benefits offered by leading companies in the United States, Fatherly worked in tandem with preeminent experts in the field; Stew Friedman, Director of Wharton’s Work/Life Integration Project, Scott Behson, professor at Silberman College of Business, Fairleigh Dickinson University and PL+US: Paid Leave for the United States to evaluate the policies extended to parents.

"Fatherly’s report is a crucial benchmark in our nation’s growing awareness of the struggle to provide greater support for working parents – both mothers and fathers. This is, after all, not a women’s issue but a human issue, with profound implications for our future,” said Friedman. “The trends and stories in this report remind us of the progress we’ve made and, more importantly, of how far we need to travel on the road to freedom for women and men to lead the lives they truly want at work, in their families and in our communities.”

This is IBM's first time on Fatherly's list. The company once was a standout for corporate culture and family-friendly policies.

Here's what Fatherly said about Big Blue:

IBM used to have a reputation for employee retention. Today, fewer workers stick around for 45 years, but many do stay to take advantage of the competitive parent leave on offer.

• Headquarters: Armonk, NY
• Number of employees: 380,000+
• Paid Paternity Leave: 6 weeks
• Industry: Tech
• 2016 Rank: New Entry

Notable Father-Friendly Policies And Practices

• Paid parental leave can be taken intermittently, giving fathers the flexibility as to when they stay at home

2017 Rank: 41

The digital lifestyle guide has been researching the issue for three years, and things have been changing rapidly.

“Since we began compiling this report three years ago, the average amount of paid leave offered to fathers has nearly tripled amongst top companies. Even more encouragingly, these policies are not just for white collar divisions, but company-wide including warehouse workers and baristas,” said Simon Isaacs, Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer, Fatherly. "The companies on this year’s list are truly paving the way for expanded leave for all, demonstrating that supporting new parents in this critical phase makes good sense for businesses.”

To be eligible for Fatherly’s list, companies had to have at least 1,000 employees and must offer a minimum of four weeks paid paternity leave. They were additionally judged against a rigorous set of criteria including, the availability to corporate flextime, access to on-site childcare and job security for parents. Some additional insights from the report include:

• Since Fatherly launched its first report three years ago, the amount of paid leave offered to new fathers has nearly tripled, jumping from four to approximately 11 weeks.
• Although Silicon Valley companies are still at the forefront, a promising trend is on the rise as companies like Starbucks and Ikea extend their policy to their retail locations.
• Child care support, both on-site and provided through a subsidy, is a growing trend. Companies like Patagonia provide on-site care while 47%* (*of total responses) offer child-care subsidies to parents.
• Netflix, for the second consecutive year, is the leader in paternity leave, offering 52 weeks of paid time-off.
• 88% of Fatherly’s top 50 companies offer flextime, recognizing that the importance offamily time extends beyond newborns.
• List newcomer Etsy offers all employees a gender-blind 26 weeks of time-off which they are allowed to space out over two years after the birth or adoption of their child.