As an employee, it’s important that your job offers you the right balance between work and home. Since the pandemic, this has been a major factor that delegates the environment and culture of the company many people choose to work for. As a major game-changer, companies are now rethinking the right balance between what’s best for their employees and what’s best for the company.
With over 10 million open jobs in the workforce and older adults (50 and older) making up a major part of the workforce (more than one-third), employers are struggling to figure out the best ways to keep this age group from retiring. This cohort of workers has proven to be the most experienced, and should they leave out the door, that historical knowledge leaves with them. As a result, some companies have implemented grandternity leave.
What Is Grandternity Leave?
Grandternity leave is paid time off for new grandparents. The paid time off can range from one day to two or three weeks.
What Grandternity Leave Implies
Companies that institute grandparent leave into their policies not only make it clear to employees how significant they are to the company but it helps to solidify the fact that older people are in the workforce for years to come.
Not only is the workforce engrossed with older workers, but people in general are living longer. That means that multiple generations (five or more) will live to see their grandchildren and their grandchildren’s children. Parents of newborns will be comfortable knowing their parents or grandparents can support them in any way they can.
By 2029, 25% of the U.S. workforce is expected to consist of older adults. Policies like grandternity leave will help secure their place in the workforce.
Benefits of Grandparent Leave
Immerse in the newness of the family: With this new leave category in companies, grandparents no longer get to show up to see the new baby of the family just on weekends, but they get to immerse themselves in every aspect of the life of the little one. They get to immerse in every inch of their life during that time off.
Flexibility: Work-life balance is the key to many people being able to live their best lives. Granternity leaves allow the flexibility grandparents need to be grandparents while at the same time being committed, dependable workers for their employers. The best part is that they don’t have to feel guilty about the time they spend away from their job and can support their children and grandchildren.
Companies That Implemented Grandparent Leave
The grandternity leave policy implies that companies are gearing up to be sought-after companies when people are looking for new career opportunities. If you’re under 50 but seeking a company that has a culture centered on the well-being of its employees, here are some companies that have already implemented this leave policy for their older employees.
- Fannie Mae: Offers one day of paid leave per year for new grandparents
- Booking.com: Offers 10 days of paid leave per year for new grandparents (since 2022)
- Cisco: Offers three paid leave days per year for new grandparents (since 2017)
- Mercer: Offers one day of paid leave per year for new grandparents in some of its overseas offices (since 2022)
- HireVue: Implemented its grandternity leave policy in 2016
- SentinelOne: Implemented its grandternity leave policy in 2022
Grandternity leave may just be the start of other policies companies decide to implement for the aging workforce. For example, in recent years, a few companies have instituted policies offering menopause benefits.
The Bottom Line
Many companies have come to realize the importance of maintaining their older workers and in an effort to do that, have instituted policies to help keep them around longer. While grandternity leave is now only available in a handful of companies, it’s possible more may be following suit. Grandternity leave is beneficial for older workers and instrumental to the support of the entire family. If you’re not sure if your company supports grandparent leave, contact your benefits department.
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