Netflix may be “walking back” its generous parental leave policy that gives new moms and dads unlimited time off during their baby’s first year of life. Employees worry the changes could mean an end to the culture that fueled the company’s success, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, Dec. 12.
The company once known for its open culture and core value of “freedom and responsibility” is much bigger than when it introduced the parental leave policy in 2015, growing from just hundreds of employees to 14,000 in a decade.
Now, the company reportedly no longer lists a “freedom and responsibility” of its founding culture memo.
Netflix also removed language in its workplace culture section on its website in October, which previously noted, “new parents generally take 4-8 months” off for parental leave. Instead, the section now encourages workers to talk with their managers before taking parental leave.
Netflix assures salaried workers that they can still take parental leave within the first year of their child’s life or adoption, although there’s no specific length of time they can take off.
The co-CEO of Netflix argued the original culture memo was made when the company had only a few hundred employees, and updating it only made sense. He noted the company culture was never meant to be “static,” and said the standard parental leave time has held steady at around six months in the U.S. and seven months in the U.K.
However, a former employee disagrees, telling The Wall Street Journal that the vague language makes employees uncomfortable with taking time off with the fear of negative consequences.
One former Netflix worker reportedly said she was laid off after taking six months of parental leave and noted that she joined Netflix because of the once-notable parental leave benefit.
Netflix contended that it is not “walking back” its parental leave policy, telling The Wall Street Journal that it has always encouraged employees to “take care of your child and yourself.”
“Employees have the freedom, flexibility and responsibility to determine what’s best for them and their family,” the company added.
Parental leave changes are reportedly part of a “wider cultural rest” for the streaming giant. Employees revealed that no longer are emails sent out companywide to explains someone’s firing and some say they are discouraged form unfettered feedback, which was once a staple of the company’s culture.
