The birth of a child is a wonderful event. In many parts of the world, the law protects working parents so that they can take time off to raise the baby in peace and with financial support. However, the situation in the United States is… a bit more complex and slightly mind-boggling. Mandated parental leave doesn’t actually exist there—a lot depends on your workplace and your boss.
Reddit user u/P4ddyC4ke recently went viral on the r/MaliciousCompliance online group after sharing how he stood up to his boss way back in 1999, when his wife was about to give birth to their daughter. The OP quickly put his superior in his place when he only wanted to give him a couple of days off. You’ll find the full story as you scroll down.
Paid parental leave means that new parents can spend some quality time with their baby
Image credits: Amina Filkins (not the actual image)
A man shared how his former boss tried to deny him time off, for when his wife was going to give birth
Image credits: Lukas (not the actual image)
Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko (not the actual image)
Image credits: P4ddyC4ke
The employee knew his rights and referred to them to stand up to his manager
It’s refreshing to read about an employee who had clearly done their research and knew their rights. When the store manager didn’t want to give u/P4ddyC4ke the week off back in 1999, the OP told him that he should speak to HR, otherwise, he’d take the 12 weeks off that was owed to him, legally. The worker also had accumulated enough time off to be paid throughout this period.
Eventually, the boss relented. However, now, the author of the post decided to take a couple of weeks off, rather than just the one that he initially planned on. It just goes to show that it’s far easier to enforce healthy boundaries at work when you know the law.
It’s also a lesson about how someone who’s in management doesn’t always make the right decisions. If something feels off, doesn’t sound right, or goes against your values, you shouldn’t be afraid to voice your opinion and stand up for yourself.
Even if things don’t go your way, there’s always HR and your boss’ boss whom you can speak to in order to sort things out. When it comes to important moments like the birth of your own child, it’s definitely important to fight for time off.
Image credits: Sora Shimazaki (not the actual image)
In the US, paid paternity leave isn't mandatory and everything depends on the company
The United States is, unfortunately, the only developed country in the entire world that doesn’t offer parents paid leave benefits. The keyword here is ‘paid.’ According to Investopedia, the US Family and Medical Leave Act (the FMLA, which the OP mentioned in his post) gives moms and dads up to 12 weeks of unpaid maternity or paternity leave.
However, to be eligible for this, you must have worked at your company for at least a year, for at least 1,250 hours. The company also has to employ 50 or more people within 75 miles.
The issue here is that those 3 months are unpaid. That’s why some parents decide not to take all of their leave unless their company offers them proper benefits. So they’re left with a tough choice. Instead of both parents spending some quality time with their baby, one or even both of them are forced to return to the job market.
This can be extremely difficult, as moms need time to recover from giving birth. On top of that, the parents might start resenting their workplace and the legal system as a whole if they feel like they’re missing out on spending quality time with their munchkin. The Society for Human Resource Management claims that around 55% of US employers now offer paid maternity leave and 45% offer paid paternity leave.
Image credits: Sarah Chai (not the actual image)
The situation is far better in neighboring Canada, which sets a good example of how paternity leave could work
Compare the situation with the one found in the US’ northern neighbor, Canada, for instance. There, maternity leave is 15 weeks long and moms can receive benefits up to 55% of their average weekly insurable wage, up to $650 per week.
On top of that, parents have access to two main types of parental leave, which can be shared between them. With the standard leave, you can apply for up to 40 weeks of time off during which you receive up to 55% of your pay, or up to $650 per week. However, one parent cannot receive more than 35 weeks of standard benefits. This would mean that, for example, a mom would be able to take 15 weeks off and another 35 weeks off with the standard benefits.
The extended benefits package, meanwhile, means that you can get up to 33% of your weekly wage, or up to $390, for up to 69 weeks. One parent can’t get more than 61 weeks of these benefits. So theoretically, a mom could qualify for 15 + 61 = 76 weeks of paid leave in Canada.
Image credits: Vlada Karpovich (not the actual image)
The author shared some additional background information in the comments of his post
Here's how some readers reacted to the viral internet story
Other people had their own workplace stories that they wanted to get off their chest
Meanwhile, some internet users pointed out what parental leave is like outside the US
