[KARAH RUCKER]

NETFLIX MAY BE WALKING BACK ITS GENEROUS PARENTAL LEAVE POLICY GIVING NEW MOMS AND DADS UNLIMITED TIME OFF DURING THEIR BABY’S FIRST YEAR.

AND EMPLOYEES WORRY THE CHANGES COULD MEAN AN END TO THE CULTURE THAT FUELED ITS SUCCESS.

THAT’S ACCORDING TO A NEW REPORT FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL THURSDAY.

THE COMPANY ONCE-KNOWN FOR ITS OPEN CULTURE AND CORE VALUE OF “FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY” IS MUCH BIGGER THAN WHEN IT INTRODUCED THE PARENTAL LEAVE POLICY IN 2015.

GOING FROM JUST HUNDREDS OF EMPLOYEES TO AROUND 14 THOUSAND IN A DECADE.

NOW, THE COMPANY NO LONGER LISTS A “FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY” SECTION OF ITS FOUNDING CULTURE MEMO.

NETFLIX ALSO REMOVED LANGUAGE IN ITS WORKPLACE CULTURE SECTION ON ITS WEBSITE IN OCTOBER, WHICH PREVIOUSLY NOTED, “NEW PARENTS GENERALLY TAKE FOUR-TO-EIGHT MONTHS” OFF FOR PARENTAL LEAVE.

INSTEAD, THE SECTION NOW ENCOURAGES WORKERS TO TALK WITH THEIR MANAGERS BEFORE TAKING LEAVE.

NETFLIX ASSURES SALARIED WORKERS THEY CAN STILL TAKE PARENTAL LEAVE WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR OF THEIR CHILD’S LIFE OR ADOPTION, THOUGH THERE’S NO SPECIFIC LENGTH OF TIME.

THE CO-C-E-O OF NETFLIX ARGUED THE ORIGINAL CULTURE MEMO WAS MADE WHEN THE COMPANY HAD ONLY A FEW HUNDRED EMPLOYEES AND UPDATING IT ONLY MADE SENSE.

NOTING, COMPANY CULTURE WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE “STATIC.”

HE ALSO SAYS THE STANDARD PARENTAL LEAVE TIME HAS HELD STEADY AT AROUND SIX MONTHS IN THE U-S AND SEVEN MONTHS IN THE U-K.

BUT A FORMER EMPLOYEE DISAGREES, SAYING THE VAGUE LANGUAGE MAKES EMPLOYEES UNCOMFORTABLE TAKING TIME OFF WITH FEAR OF NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES.

SOME FIRED WORKERS ALSO BELIEVE THEY LET GO FOR TAKING USING THEIR PARENTAL LEAVE.

ONE FORMER NETFLIX WORKER SAYS SHE WAS LAID OFF AFTER TAKING SIX MONTHS OF PARENTAL LEAVE AND NOTED SHE JOINED NETFLIX BECAUSE OF THE ONCE-NOTABLE BENEFIT.

NETFLIX CONTENDS IT’S NOT “WALKING BACK” ITS PARENTAL LEAVE POLICY.

SAYING IT’S ALWAYS ENCOURAGED EMPLOYEES “TO “TAKE CARE OF YOUR CHILD AND YOURSELF.” 

ADDING, “EMPLOYEES HAVE THE FREEDOM, FLEXIBILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY TO DETERMINE WHAT’S BEST FOR THEM AND THEIR FAMILY.”

PARENTAL LEAVE CHANGES ARE REPORTEDLY PART OF A “WIDER CULTURAL RESET” FOR THE STREAMING GIANT.

NO LONGER ARE EMAILS SENT OUT COMPANYWIDE TO EXPLAIN SOMEONE’S FIRING AND EMPLOYEES NOTE, UNFETTERED FEEDBACK IS ALSO DISCOURAGED.

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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS– I’M KARAH RUCKER.