7 Paternity Leave Perks You Wouldnt Expect, According to Dads Who Too

7 Paternity Leave Perks You Wouldnt Expect, According to Dads Who Too Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took two months of paternity leave after the birth of his child in 2015, and it kickstarted the conversation about parental leave policies and gender inequality, in general, across the country. Since then, companies have been reconsidering their parental benefits (which traditionally just include maternity leave) and, as a growing body of researchreiterates thatpaid paternity leave is equally important for both the family and for workplace gender equality, evermore companies are starting to offer new fathers paternity leave, too.Studies show that when working parents take time to be with their newborns, outcomes are better for the children and families, So, shortly thereafter, a free, crowdsourcedParental Leave Resource Center that ranks companies of all sizes paternity leave policies by fruchtwein paid weeks welches born on Fairygodboss. We reached out to men whove taken paternity leav e from companies like those included to ask them about their experiences. Heres what they had to say...1. Its super important for fathers to build bonds with their families, too.Recently, one of the most exciting things happened in my life the birth of my son, Tipton, says Alex Smith, business consultant for iProv, LLC anda 27-year-old new father. It was a magical moment and one I wanted to last as long as possible. Now, to be honest, one of the first things that entered my mind was, how much time will I get to spend with him before I go back to work. And the answer was 10 days. My work gave me 10 days of paternity leave, and I was so thankful for that. My stance on the matter is really cynical, however, because I am a huge advocate for the mom getting at least six months, though we know that doesnt happen, and men getting at least a month.The reason is that I believe those infancy moments are so critical for both parents to be in unison during the early stages of life, that when th at time is taken, and we are forced to hit the workforce again, elend only do we lose touch with what actually occurred, we create a void in the development that we already know is so critical.Needless to say, the time I spent was amazing. My work was amazing, my wife was amazing, and I was thrilled to have even that amount of time. I think the experience in itself opened up a door in my mind that I need to work as hard as possible to allow my significant other as much time at home during the early stages as possible. Because I know how important that is. There really wasnt any negative, other than as a society we can do better with allowing parents more of that intimate time, without holding a strain on them.2. Fathers who take time off are better able to support mothers.Im a father of two girls aged 10 and three yearsold while on a paternity leave, I did it as soon as my wife had her labor and I was always beside herto make sure that everything is fine, saysUlysis, a content stra tegist for RapidVisa Philippines. I did maximize the amount of leave that my company gave me so that I could assist my wife from the hospital going back home. I did not feel judged in fact, they admired me for being a very good father and a husband.3. Fathers should be able to spend the formative years with their children.Ive always wondered about paternity leave, and, after 20 years working in large corporations, I know theres a stigma against men who choose to use their paternity leave, saysAlexander Lowry, executive director for theSo Ive found a middle ground taking days here and there rather than as a big chunk. This allows me to stay connected at work and people dont notice much if Im going for an occasional day, versus say two weeks in a row. Im glad Ive got the opportunity to spend formative time with my newborn daughter. Thats a gift, and the most important thing And I wouldnt trade it for anything.4. Paternity leave leads to gender equality in the workplace.I dont want to miss that, Ben Hoffmansaid of getting to spend time with his children during paternity leave.Hoffmanleadsthe new digital lending business behindFifth Third Bank. Hes also the former head of corportate strategy and sees both thefamily benefit and the company benefit to paternal leave. He took paternity leave with his son and his first baby two years ago with another company. Until men are taking paternity leave and being gone for a while even if it isnt 12 weeks we wont achieve gender equality at work. When men and women both take time away and both transition back in, it will lead to a more equal, engaged and productive workforce.5. Companies that offer paid leave for fathers show that they support families.Having a policy that provides four weeks of paid leave not only helps out financially, but it reinforces the Banks support for me to actually take the time off, said Jeremy Faust, who took four weeks of with pay. Faust is the sustainability leader forEnterprise Workplace Servic es with FifthThird Bank, which offers a newpaid Baby Bonding leave that allowed him the financial ability to take time off and the emotional assurance that it was okay.While our new policy allows me to take time away from the Bank, it also supports my wifes in taking time away from her career and being able to return to a job she loves. I am continually impressed by the culture at Fifth Third... Caring for an infant is definitely a gruppe experience. Its times like these that cement our foundation as a team and as a family.6. Paid leave for both parents gives both mothers and fathers equal time to adjust.I couldnt believe it I showed the email to my wife and she was in shock it was awesome, says Brian Carson, who hadset aside money and saved vacation time whenhe learnedhis wife was pregnant with their third child. He didnt think hed be able to take paternity leave, but Fifth Third Bank gave him paid time off. He is anIT security and identity analyst.We knew it was going to be a big change in our house. They are only little for such a short amount of time, I wanted to be there for all of it... We both work we both take care of the house. Brian is the cook and his wife does laundry meanwhile, their boys do chores. Brian said he liked that his boys would see that their dad took time away from work, too.7. Paternity leave gives fathers time to recharge, too.I am very glad that I took paternity leave I took two months, says Joel Legatt, a mathematics and physics teacher. As a teacher, I am lucky to have very good policies in place for family leave, and the field is very understanding towards that. Additionally, other male teachers have taken paternity leave, so it is of the cultural norm in my workplace. I was eligible for half pay for six weeks, I had off winter break, and I took off one additional week unpaid. It was great because I was able to focus on supporting my wife as she recovered from labor, and got to know my son and get into the routine of parenting before returning to work. I am working onanational-level teacher certification, and I took advantage of this time to work on my portfolio. Most everybody was very supportive of my decision, only one or two co-workers werent.--AnnaMarie Houlis is a multimedia journalist and an adventure aficionado with a keen cultural curiosity and an affinity for solotravel. Shes an editor by day and a travel blogger at HerReport.org by night.