Why everyone deserves maternity leave at least once
Having a poké bowl delivered to finish a task, opening your laptop on the weekend, texting your colleagues in the evening or emailing during those scarce vacations; until recently, this was the millennial lifestyle, but those times seem almost over. You’re no longer a loser if you go on vacation often, and even digital nomads are somewhat accepted. So there’s only one thing left: give everyone a chance for (maternity) leave, even if you’re not pregnant.
A great plan, right? Of course, I know that maternity leave is not a vacation. I just had another wave of babies in my friend group and I know that this period feels like the graveyard shift of life. But what if you don’t want children or can’t have children? Should you never be able to take a longer break? I advocate for a right to four months of leave, even if there’s no conception involved.
Just working, working, and working again is old school. People kept talking about that ideal work-life balance before corona, but it was then a no go no go to implement it in practice. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that you don’t want to wait.
At ELLE, I read a nice example from Sharmedean Reid, founder of The Stack World. An employee came to her to resign because she couldn’t handle it anymore. Instead, Reid encouraged her to take a sabbatical and then come back to work. So instead of losing all your employees to a wave of resignations, you give them the freedom to come back to you. Reid calls it the hot girl sabbatical; I also think it’s a great name for maternity leave if you’re not pregnant. And it should obviously be available for every gender, because no one should feel excluded here.
Bosses, managers, and directors, what are you waiting for? Take a cue from Reid and put that right to a sabbatical in the contract immediately. This way, those great employees will stick around. By the way, I immediately see expansion possibilities here. What if you, as an employer, withhold a small percentage over a period so that an employee can save for that sabbatical right away? Hallelujah, and then after four months, you get back a rested, probably somewhat developed, and happy employee. Can I apply for a patent on this idea?
