Congratulations! Not only because, you know, you’ve had a child (or, at the very least, preparing for one, which is a major milestone in itself), but also because you’re part of the tech industry. You have the critical skills that businesses want and need, now more than ever.
The past year has accelerated digital transformation across all sectors and the tech industry, which is now worth £4tn, looks set to grow exponentially. As a result, the race for top tech talent is really hotting up. So, how are tech companies beating their competitors to the finish line for a larger share of top-flight candidates?
To win the most sought-after talent, they’re not just shouting about their vision and mission, flexibility and career path opportunities. They’re also offering competitive pay packages, which include generous parental leave policies.
Here are some of the best tech jobs if you’re a parent in the UK, and for other open roles, you can check out our Job Board.
Klarna
It makes sense that Swedish tech giant, Klarna, which was founded in 2005 and arrived in the UK in 2014, offers great parental leave to its employees. After all, Sweden is consistently ranked as one of the best countries in the world on this measure – after the birth of a child, both parents are eligible for an impressive 47.3 weeks’ leave, according to National Geographic.
In the UK, parents can take 20 weeks of leave at full pay, and with full health and welfare benefits, during the child’s first two years. The company also has a ramp-up period, where upon returning to work, employees will have the option to come back to work on a part-time schedule. The online payment company now has two UK offices, one in London and one in Manchester, with over 200 employees.
Discover open roles at Klarna now.
When it comes to the tech sector and its ‘perks’, Alphabet’s Google is hard to beat. From travel to restaurants, flexibility to fitness facilities, its benefits are attractive, to say the least. Now, even more so. It announced at the beginning of the year that all parents will be eligible for 18 weeks of leave, up from 12 weeks, and any employee will be able to take eight weeks of caregiver’s leave (up from four weeks).
Google’s open roles are available here.
Netflix
Netflix dethroned Google as the top tech company people wanted to work for in 2020, with good reason. Not only does it have a great expenses policy that comprises five words – act in Netflix’s best interest – but it offers unlimited paid leave for new parents for one year. Yes, unlimited.
Parents are further allowed to choose to come back full-time, part-time or to return and then go back out as needed. The company’s official policy explains: “At Netflix, we work hard to foster a ‘freedom and responsibility’ culture that gives our employees freedom to make their own decisions.”
Microsoft
The closest company to offering Netflix’s policy is probably Microsoft. In 2015, the company offered new mothers eight weeks of fully-paid mat leave, along with a 12-week paternity scheme for both mothers and fathers. Since then, the tech giant has improved its benefits programme, enabling staff to take 12 weeks of fully-paid leave, on top of the eight weeks for new mothers, rounding it up to 20 weeks of paid leave.
As a bonus, Microsoft employees can take the 12 weeks’ leave either all at once or in spurts. The company also enables new parents to choose whether they want to phase back into work on a half-time basis.
Monzo
Since launching in 2015, Monzo has grown from a daring startup into a fully-fledged online bank valued at more than $4.5bn. It offers paid maternity, paternity, adoption or shared parental leave, if you’ve been with the company for at least 13 weeks. Specifically, it offers 52 weeks of primary caregiver leave (13 weeks at 100% pay, 13 weeks at 50% pay, 13 weeks at statutory maternity pay, plus six weeks of secondary caregiver leave at 100% pay.
It also offers up to six days of leave per year for fertility treatments, and was one of the first UK companies to offer paid leave for employees who are affected by the loss of a pregnancy.
Discover Monzo’s open roles here.
For many more tech roles across the UK, check out our Job Board.
This article is part of a paid partnership with careers marketplace Jobbio to share the most exciting UK tech jobs with UKTN readers.
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