
Mark Zuckerberg Will Take Two Months Off from Facebook for Paternity Leave - markthethomas
http://techcrunch.com/2015/11/20/mark-zuckerberg-will-take-two-months-off-from-facebook-for-paternity-leave/?sr_share=facebook
======
acangiano
This is great. It sends the message that no matter who you are, prioritizing
family over business is an option, especially when a newborn has arrived.

I'm also willing to bet that it's good for business. An employee with better
relationships at home is more likely to be productive at work in the long
term.

~~~
oneJob
I had a sorta different reaction. I thought, it'd be amazing if everyone at
Facebook had the option to take two months off for paternity leave and
prioritize family over business without worrying about losing their job or
good favor with their supervisor.

~~~
seattle_spring
Then prepare to be amazed, because they actually have four months paid
paternity leave.

~~~
robotresearcher
I hope the environment is such that people feel they can use it without
penalty. Anyone have experience?

~~~
underwater
I took a little over three months off when my first child was born, and am in
the process of taking the full four months for my second child.

I know a half dozen people who have had children while working at Facebook and
all of them have taken all (or almost all) of that time.

I never felt pressure not to take leave. The hardest part was convincing
myself that things would keep running without me.

~~~
brador
Do you have to be married? Is it for anyone whose partner has had a child or
only for your own child?

Like, could you, in theory, have a baby making rotation of 3 "girlfriends"
with 4 months of paternal leave each per year for an eternal vacation?

~~~
JupiterMoon
Looking after an under-one year old baby is not a vacation.

~~~
eugeneionesco
But also it's not hard work...

~~~
JupiterMoon
Have you ever looked after a baby?

------
engi_nerd
I am jealous. My mega-large, hyphenated corporation only gives 40 hours. Which
I have just had approved (today!) so that I could help care for my newborn son
while my wife recovers from caesarian section. Doing this required multiple
calls to a third party company that hypenated-corporation has subcontracted
their leave and disability claims to, as well as about 30 pages worth of
paperwork. I spent about half as much time coordinating all this as the amount
of leave that I'll get.

My point is: even if Zuckerberg only takes half the time he gives to everyone
else he's still being very generous to himself as compared to what happens in
much of corporate America. I am willing to bet that going on leave like this
is probably easier at Facebook, as well.

~~~
scurvy
Bummer. Move to a state with family leave laws. CA gives 6 weeks of paid leave
to everyone:

[http://www.edd.ca.gov/disability/FAQ_PFL_Benefits.htm](http://www.edd.ca.gov/disability/FAQ_PFL_Benefits.htm)

~~~
randyrand
Out of curiosity, would this apply if you were say a lead actor in a movie? 6
week multi-million dollar production stall would in my mind be fair ground for
not hiring an actor, but I take it that's illegal.

~~~
HeyLaughingBoy
This is getting nitpicky against your very valid point, but I think most
actors are 1099 contractors so it doesn't apply

~~~
randyrand
I imagine you have to be right. For the majority of employees a 6 week break
is no big deal. But for some specialty industries you just _can 't_ hire
people that plan on taking a 6 week break in the middle of production.

------
dimdimdim
The point is --- there was no real need to even mention this on an FB post!
the CEO is also an employee and he could have done this more privately.

I hate it when top CEOs try to prove that love "work-life" balance when in
reality once you reach the top, its always easy to do the "right thing" in any
circumstance.

If she would have been pregnant when he just started FB, then would have taken
more than 2 days off?

~~~
droopybuns
I don't think what you're saying reflects reality. Anyone who is responsible
for making payroll is experiencing a kind of pressure that most people will
never know.

"United Continental Holdings Inc's (UAL.N) new chief executive has suffered a
heart attack, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday, barely a month
after he took on the job of improving the airline's profitability and
reputation."

[http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/16/us-
unitedairlines-...](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/16/us-
unitedairlines-ceo-idUSKCN0SA29S20151016)

~~~
glesica
Then quit and take a lower-stress job. Once you're at that point you can
afford it (in fact most people in that position these days could just quit and
reduce their living costs, maybe not even that). I think that's what GP was
saying.

------
ksenzee
It's great that he's taking two months, but count me with those who think he
should take more. I took three months of maternity leave with my youngest, and
honestly that last month was a really good deal for my employer. I used to say
they were paying me to stay out of the codebase. I felt fine, and if I'd had
to go back to work I could have, but between the sleep deprivation and the
distractions of having a newborn around, I was pretty cognitively impaired.
They'd probably still be finding bugs in the code I wrote that month.

~~~
nojvek
I have a couple of friends who became parents and decided to take it in chunks
rather than a full 4 months. They had a bit of support from in laws, so as a
manager he came back after 1 month to ship a release, then wife and husband
would alternate so there would be always one parent at home full time while
the other worked.

------
parasubvert
The fact this is front page news on multiple outlets , and a pile of cynical
comments here, underscores how weird America is with attitudes around "paid
insurance benefits", whether healthcare, vacation, and parental leave.

Unlimited vacation policies are intended to make people act more like Canada
or Europe where 4-6 weeks paid vacation is common. Most civilized countries
have employer benefits plans that cover most of your salary as a parent for
12-16 weeks, and by the government (up to ~$50k annually) for 52 weeks shared
between parents.

Mark is doing what most Dads do, and it's a good example.

------
scurvy
Ugh. I'm not trying to be super negative, but he's setting a bad precedent by
taking half the amount of allowed leave. "We offer 4 months, but Zuck only
took 2. Wanna be like Zuck?" He should take the full 4 months and show
everyone that it's OK.

This is like the unspoken mantra of "unlimited vacation" really being only 2 -
2.5 weeks.

~~~
immad
He is probably busier than the average FB employee.

~~~
xirdstl
That kind of thinking can lead to a culture where people don't want to take
vacation because it means they are less "busy" than others and by implication,
less important.

It becomes a badge of honor to let unused vacation expire at the end of the
year because you just didn't have time to take it.

I've seen it more than once.

------
Pxtl
Future dads out there, look into this. My wife and I split the year of
unemployment-insurance-covered leave (half your salary if your salary is
mediocre, and that's the cap) here in Canada and it was the best decision of
my life. I got 7 months of full time dad duty in and it changed me.

My company and her school both offered a modest top-up on the government's
parental leave benefit, so splitting the year meant we got to double-dip our
employee benefits.

So it's not just good family building, it's also good financial sense. It's
also the best way to fight the pay gap - an employer wonders which of his
female employees will vanish for a year or so. This way, _everybody_ leaves
for 6 months or so.

~~~
jamesblonde
That's basically the same model as here in Sweden. And i agree the biggest win
is for the pay gap for women. Employers don't really discriminate as either
sex could disappear soon. Employers don't take a big pay hit either, as it's
social insurance that pays while you're off.

------
SilasX
Good to know that Facebook will continue to pay his salary over those two
months, all $0.17 of it. :-p

------
plg
canada

35 weeks

[http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/types/maternity_parent...](http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/types/maternity_parental.shtml#long)

PS this is the minimum (through the government) many companies provide more
(e.g. 1 year)

~~~
ps4fanboy
Is that paternity leave or maternity?

~~~
parasubvert
Both. There are max 50 weeks of EI paid - biological mothers get 15 weeks of
pay, then the remaining 35 weeks of the pay in the first parental year is
shared between parents (even for adoptions).

So, Mom & Dad could both take 15 weeks off (15 x 2), and Mom or Dad takes the
remaining 20 off. There are many combinations.

Of course, EI only pays $50k a year max, so many employers will offer benefits
packages that match 75-80% of your salary for up to 16 weeks (maternal and/or
paternal leave).

------
aws_ls
I have experienced a change in mindset regarding vacations, when I was an
employee of a large corp vs now that I am entrepreneur.

Earlier when I was an employee I used to look forward to
weekends/holidays/vacations. Not so now. The idea of being away from work for
months is unthinkable for me. Local radio on Monday morning has an RJ
invariably commenting on Monday-morning-blues. Luckily, I can't relate to that
feeling anymore.

Not trying to paint ultra-rosy picture of being a business owner. It does have
ups and downs, and it being a roller-coaster ride is well documented by many.

But whatever stage (highs/lows) you may be in. Typically, its hard to keep
yourself away from work. Maximum duration of a vacation, I have taken in past
8-9 years, is around a week, and the median is typically 3-4 days.

At the same time, I do understand responsibility towards family. So if
somebody _needs_ to do it, I appreciate that, and definitely see myself also
doing, but obviously don't wish for it.

Perhaps many others here, may feel similarly.

------
MrGando
I'm glad to see this.

I can't believe that in the US, paternity/maternity leave is something that is
left for 'the market to decide'. I was hoping for Marissa Mayer to lead and
set the example for maternity leave... but she took two weeks... I couldn't
really believe it, I was pretty disappointed. In my eyes what she did, sent a
pretty sad message for women, her employees, and other companies.

I think Mark taking two weeks off, is an example, for everyone. His employees
(male, female, etc) and other companies. Hey, maybe even the Government can
learn from this.

TD;LR, glad Mark did this. Kudos.

------
throwaway_1003
Excellent! Good for Mark, and better for the world. The average privacy
invasion perpetrated by megacorps will hopefully be falling slightly over the
next two months.

------
bisRepetita
It's a very personal choice for everyone, as Mark points out. That said, I
believe the first 2 months are not always the most interesting for a father,
nor when the most helpful. First 2 weeks sure!

After that, if you stay home doing emails, maybe you should go back to work
for real, and keep some time for later in the year...

Not a universal truth, but I liked the love curve over time here:
[https://www.ted.com/talks/rufus_griscom_alisa_volkman_let_s_...](https://www.ted.com/talks/rufus_griscom_alisa_volkman_let_s_talk_parenting_taboos)

------
cdnsteve
Only 2 months? Go live life while your young and healthy. The guy doesn't need
to ever work again. Enjoy every moment Zuck, they grow up way too fast.

------
vegabook
Whatever you say about Zuck, this is a nice post. Down to earth, real, warm. I
also can't help but appreciate the non-prevalence of designer stuff and
furniture everywhere in the photo, despite his net worth. Thanks Zuck. You've
nicely wrong-footed all the "robot" charges. My your family and child be
happy, healthy, and fulfilled.

------
handrake
I think it's the right thing to do. If you don't take everything he does
upside down, this can't possibly be bad. I believe he chose the number wisely
without making it too short, which would send a message across taking a full
leave is not such a good idea, or making it too long only reminding everyone
that he is the one.

------
jacquesm
Facebook offers 4 months to regular employees.

~~~
VOYD
Cyborgs don't need that much time.

------
trynumber9
"At Facebook we offer our US employees up to 4 months of paid maternity or
paternity leave which they can take throughout the year."

He's managed to make his paternity leave a PR opportunity. Acute.

~~~
o0-0o
Acute or slimy. Hard to tell the difference anymore, eh?

------
david_mitchell
It's nice that he is setting a good example but what's really impressive about
this is that he has managed to get fb into a state where him taking two months
off is actually possible. How many other large company CEOs could do that
without a lot of things going wrong?

------
dharma1
UK here. Paternity leave is 2 weeks off - half of that unpaid. It's a
disgrace.

[https://www.gov.uk/paternity-pay-
leave/overview](https://www.gov.uk/paternity-pay-leave/overview)

~~~
ascorbic
You can also share up to 52 weeks with the other parent, paid (though not very
much). [https://www.gov.uk/shared-parental-leave-and-
pay](https://www.gov.uk/shared-parental-leave-and-pay)

~~~
dharma1
Yeah, £140/week, paid by the government instead of employer. Pretty close to
being unpaid leave

------
return0
OK who here believes he is actually going to be away from work, not doing
anything? He's just going to be working from home for 2 months that's all.

------
eva1984
Doesn't mean he won't work during the whole time...I think it is great move to
send a message though, that paternity leave is not for display.

------
mseepgood
But isn't this exactly the period of life where one is supposed to post a lot
of baby photos on the timeline?

------
hugi
As an Icelander; Bravo to Mr. Zuckerberg, he's got the right idea. Hope the
rest of America picks up soon.

------
johnward
I get six weeks and I can't actually imagine the full six weeks being
approved.

------
ryguytilidie
Former Facebook employee here. I was never as impressed with Mark as many I've
spoken with, but this is really impressive. I also hope it shows how Sheryl
should be a CEO somewhere ASAP.

~~~
rezashirazian
This comment makes no sense to me.

------
modzu
why is this news

~~~
zeroonetwothree
Anything that Lord Zuckerberg does in his personal life is newsworthy.

------
someangrydude
oh wow who gives a shit. a message? rich people doing regular people things,
wow. fuck this industry

------
gesman
Means: WFH

------
iLiveInAfrica
on an interesting note: i can't wait to hear the answer to this question (if
he already hasn't answered it)

"would you let your kid use internet.org to access the Internt"

~~~
iLiveInAfrica
to all the down voters: I would like to know the reason (I thought I followed
the guidelines)

and for the record (again), I really live in Africa

the main reason this story qualified as a "news" in the first place is because
he's (Mark) is pretty important/influential & with that, normal people like me
have questions for them - that's all I did, asked an interesting question
(especially from my pov)

thanks

------
alberte
His dog has dreads - very cool

~~~
adevine
All Pulis do:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puli](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puli)

------
rajacombinator
Hmm this could mark (lul) the beginning of the end for Facebook. But, knowing
what we do about Zuck, I'd guess not.

------
wfn
The fact that a headline such as "Mark Zuckerberg Will Take Two Months Off
from Facebook for Paternity Leave" [half what FB gives anyway] receives more
than 200 points on HN means that something is really wrong on that other side
of the Atlantic. -/bitchy-rant.

------
PinguTS
To be honest, compared to Germany that is not a good news.

In Germany, you can have this up to 36 months (3 years) for both parants and
your employer can't send you a notice to quit.

So, to be honest, I have to laugh at Zuck. Or say it another way: I think, he
does not value his kids. I am a shamed of him.

~~~
xiaoma
What if you have four children, spaced out evenly over twelve years in
Germany? Do you just not need to work for twelve years?

~~~
frik
Yes, and that's just one of the loopholes. It's a problem with the current
crisis in Europe. They want a better life for free and are known to get many
children.

~~~
baq
>They want a better life for free and are known to get many children.

that's called maximizing ROI and in business is called being smart; on the
other hand, in personal terms it's perojative. something's off balance.

------
chatmasta
I wonder if this is by choice. I can't imagine giving up control of something
like Facebook for even two seconds.

Does he have to sell all his Facebook shares and buy them back at the end of
his paternity leave? If not, the "paternity leave" is in-name-only, because he
will still be the largest shareholder of Facebook.

You can bet Zuckerberg will still be running the show.

