Preview Newsletter

IKEA Parental Leave Announcement - 6 December 2016

Friday, December 9

Ikea’s parental leave: Not exactly Swedish, but getting closer
Dec 9, 2016 | babycenter blog
By Michelle Stein

Thursday, December 8

IKEA Introduces Trailblazing Parental Leave Policy in Retail Sector
Dec 8, 2016 | Entrepreneur
By KIM LACHANCE SHANDROW
Ikea Just Became The Company Every Parent Wants To Work For
Dec 8, 2016 | Good
Will expanded parental leave boost IKEA’s recruitment and retention efforts?
Dec 8, 2016 | RetailWire
By George Anderson
Consumer Minute: IKEA Parental Leave, SeaWorld Jobs
Dec 8, 2016 | ABC Columbia
IKEA Offers Up To 4 Months Paid Parental Leave In Rare Move For Retail Sector
Dec 8, 2016 | thegazette24.com
6 Things You Need To Know Today (December 8)
Dec 8, 2016 | Mind Body Green Blog
By Lindsay Kellner
IKEA Expanding Parental Leave
Dec 8, 2016 | KIDY Fox

Wednesday, December 7

IKEA is going to offer paid parental leave to the workers who need it most
Dec 7, 2016 | Quartz
By Oliver Staley
Ikea's New Leave Policy Offers Up to 4 Months Paid for New Mothers and Fathers
Dec 7, 2016 | ABC News
Feel Good After Assembling Your Ikea Dresser? Not As Good As Ikea Employees Feel Right Now
Dec 7, 2016 | Forbes
By Georgene Huang
IKEA's new parental leave policy definitely raises the bar for American retailers.
Dec 7, 2016 | Upworthy
By Robbie Couch
Ikea expands U.S. workers' paid parental leave – for both parents
Dec 7, 2016 | Philly Voice
By Elisa Lala
Should U.S. companies expand family-leave policies? Tell us what you think
Dec 7, 2016 | Staten Island Live
By Diane C. Lore
Ikea's new parental leave will benefit hundreds of St. Louis employees
Dec 7, 2016 | St. Louis Business Journal
By Angela Mueller
IKEA IS LOOKING TO EXPAND ITS PARENTAL LEAVE
Dec 7, 2016 | Trinity News Daily
By William Bland
Ikea expands paid leave for new parents
Dec 7, 2016 | Furniture Today
By Clint Engel
Ikea Expanding Paid Parental Leave to U.S. Employees
Dec 7, 2016 | Total Retail
By Taylor Knight
IKEA announces generous parental leave policy for all workers
Dec 7, 2016 | The Christian Science Monitor
By Lonnie Shekhtman
Seven stories you may have missed Tuesday from the world of business
Dec 7, 2016 | Boston Globe
IKEA Offers New Parents Up To Four Months Of Leave
Dec 7, 2016 | PYMNTS.com
Ikea makes drastic changes to paid parental leave policy
Dec 7, 2016 | KSHB
By Josh Helmuth
Here’s Another Reason Why The Government Doesn’t Need To Mandate Paid Leave
Dec 7, 2016 | The Hayride
By Kevin Boyd
IKEA Is Now Offering All Its Employees Fully Paid Parental Leave For 4 Months
Dec 7, 2016 | Distractify
By MUSTAFA GATOLLARI
Ikea Is Right: Hourly Workers Need Paid Parental Leave, Too
Dec 7, 2016 | The Century Foundation
By Molly Bangs
Ikea Is Giving All US Employees Paid Parental Leave, Should You?
Dec 7, 2016 | Free Enterprise
By George Khoury
Ikea significantly expanding paid parental leave
Dec 7, 2016 | Junior College
By Adam Carter
Newsmakers: Women in Washington, Ikea, university leadership changes
Dec 7, 2016 | bizwomen - Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal

Tuesday, December 6

Ikea to offer expanded parental leave in stronger job market
Dec 6, 2016 | The Associated Press
By Anne D'Innocenzio
IKEA Broadens U.S. Parental Leave Coverage
Dec 6, 2016 | The Wall Street Journal
By Lauren Weber
Ikea Is Giving Its Employees Up To Four Months Of Paid Parental Leave
Dec 6, 2016 | Huffington Post
By Dave Jamieson
Ikea pushes retail into the race to expand paid leave
Dec 6, 2016 | The Washington Post
By Jena McGregor
Ikea Is Giving All U.S. Employees Paid Parental Leave No Matter How Many Hours They Work
Dec 6, 2016 | Fortune
By Claire Zillman
Ikea’s Leave Policy Actually Includes Most of Its Workers
Dec 6, 2016 | The Atlantic
By Bourree Lam
Morning Shift - D.C. votes on paid leave
Dec 6, 2016 | POLITICO
By By TED HESSON with help from Marianne LeVine, Cogan Schneier and Ben Weyl
Ikea significantly expanding paid parental leave
Dec 6, 2016 | CNN Money
By Aaron Smith
Ikea expands parental leave to all U.S. workers
Dec 6, 2016 | USA Today
By Adam Shell
Ikea is pulling a Netflix with expanded parental leave policy
Dec 6, 2016 | Mashable
By Sasha Lekach
The Morning Risk Report: War More Prevalent in 2017 Risk Radar
Dec 6, 2016 | The Wall Street Journal
By By Mara Lemos Stein
Ikea to offer U.S. employees up to 4 months of paid parental leave
Dec 6, 2016 | Fast Company
By Marcus Baram
IKEA Offers Up To 4 Months Paid Parental Leave In Rare Move For Retail Sector
Dec 6, 2016 | Forbes
By Clare O'Connor
Why IKEA Has Richard Branson Beat on Paid Leave
Dec 6, 2016 | Inc.
By Bartie Scott
IKEA Unveils New Paid Parental Leave Policy
Dec 6, 2016 | ABC News Radio
Morning intel: Facebook struggles with fake news, Ikea ups its parental leave
Dec 6, 2016 | Fast Company
By Rose Pastore
This college president makes 129 times more than his students; plus, find out what billionaires and celebrity icons do in the morning
Dec 6, 2016 | MarketWatch
By Alessandra Malito
The Atlantic Daily: Misstep and Mistrial
Dec 6, 2016 | The Atlantic
By ROSA INOCENCIO SMITH
Ikea's New Parental Leave Policy Is A Nod To Its
Dec 6, 2016 | Refinery 29
By Marshall Bright
I cannot, but IKEA Can
Dec 6, 2016 | Medium
By Julia Beck
IKEA offers four months of paid parental leave to new mothers AND fathers as it competes with Google and Netflix in employee benefits
Dec 6, 2016 | Daily Mail
By Jennifer Smith
U.S. IKEA Employees to Get Up to 4 Months Paid Parental Leave
Dec 6, 2016 | Investor Place
By Karl Utermohlen
Ikea significantly ramps up paid parental leave benefits
Dec 6, 2016 | Employee Benefit News
By Kathryn Mayer
Ikea Expands Parental Leave, Introduces Sabbaticals for US Employees
Dec 6, 2016 | CEB Global
Ikea's New Maternity Leave Policy Gives Employees Up to Four Months of Paid Time Off
Dec 6, 2016 | Glamour
By CRISSY MILAZZO
Ikea's Paid Parental Leave Policy Is Generous & Sets The Bar For Other Companies
Dec 6, 2016 | Romper
By Karen Fratti
Ikea's new parental leave policy is sweet (and Swedish)
Dec 6, 2016 | SheKnows.com
By Jennifer Mattern
Ikea's Awesome New Paid Leave For Parents Is More Swedish Than American
Dec 6, 2016 | Pop Sugar
By Kate Emswiler
Ikea offers employees 4 months of paid parental leave
Dec 6, 2016 | Daily Dot
By Jaya Saxena
IKEA to Offer Expanded Paid Parental Leave to All Employees
Dec 6, 2016 | kveller
By Molly Tolsky
Ikea is doing something incredible for working parents, and other companies should take note
Dec 6, 2016 | Hello Giggles
By Caitlin Flynn
Every Company Should Copy IKEA's New Parental Leave Policy
Dec 6, 2016 | attn:
By Laura Donovan
Ikea Puts Employees First and Offers Extended Paid Parental Leave
Dec 6, 2016 | PJ Media
By LAUREN SPAGNOLETTI
Ikea to expand parental leave to all employees, including hourly workers
Dec 6, 2016 | Retail Dive
By Daphne Howland
Home furnishings giant in big expansion of parental leave
Dec 6, 2016 | Chain Store Age
By MARIANNE WILSON
Ikea U.S. to Expand Parental Leave Policy
Dec 6, 2016 | HFN
By Andrea Lillo
Ikea Announces 4 Months Paid Parental Leave for All U.S. Employees
Dec 6, 2016 | Glassdoor
By Amy Elisa Jackson
IKEA to Give All US Employees Paid Parental Leave
Dec 6, 2016 | Makers
Ikea to offer expanded parental leave in stronger job market
Dec 6, 2016 | Le Globaliste
IKEA To Gives Employees Up To 4 Months Paid Parental Leave
Dec 6, 2016 | CBS Philly
IKEA will soon offer up to four months’ paid parental leave to U.S. employees — including hourly workers
Dec 6, 2016 | NY Daily News
By MEERA JAGANNATHAN
Ikea to offer longer paid parental leave to all employees
Dec 6, 2016 | NJ.com
By Rajeev Dhir
Ohio IKEA to offer paid parental leave up to 4 months for both parents
Dec 6, 2016 | Dayton Daily News
By Kara Driscoll
IKEA expands paid parental leave to 4 months for US employees
Dec 6, 2016 | KIRO
IKEA expands parental leave to 4 months
Dec 6, 2016 | KTNV (ABC)
By Rebecca Lewis
IKEA offers 4 months parental leave for mothers, fathers
Dec 6, 2016 | WMC Action News 5
Hundreds of IKEA St. Louis employees will be eligible for extra parental leave
Dec 6, 2016 | Belleville News-Democrat
By http://www.bnd.com/news/local/article119258233.html
Ikea significantly expanding paid parental leave
Dec 6, 2016 | The Villages Suntimes
By Max Garcia
IKEA makes moves with its parental leave policy
Dec 6, 2016 | HBS Dealer
Brand News: Honda AI Car, NFL Players, Tech Vs. Terrorism and More
Dec 7, 2016 | brandchannel
By Shirley Brady
Business briefs: Productivity growth hits best level in 2 years
Dec 6, 2016 | Trib Live
4 Things To Know: Grammy Nominations, Oprah & More
Dec 6, 2016 | CBS Minnesota

Friday, December 9

Ikea’s parental leave: Not exactly Swedish, but getting closer

Dec 9, 2016 | babycenter blog

By Michelle Stein

In case you needed another reason to love Ikea — you know, aside from its trendy, affordable furniture — take a look at its new parental leave policy.
Ikea announced a new parental leave policy earlier this week that includes up to four months of paid time off for both hourly and salaried employees. Effective Jan. 1, 2017, new moms and dads, adoptive parents, and foster parents who have worked for Ikea for more than one year can take up to three months of paid leave. These employees will receive 100 percent of their base pay for the first six weeks and then 50 percent for the next six weeks. Furthermore, employees who have been with the company for three or more years can take four months of paid time off — eight weeks at 100 percent of their base wages and eight more weeks at 50 percent.
Ikea’s expanded parental leave policy is in addition to the six-to-eight weeks of short-term disability available to all employees, regardless of how long they’ve worked there.
“At IKEA, we believe time with family and friends is so important for a healthy work-life balance and a happy and productive workforce.” said Lars Petersson, IKEA US President, in a news release. “This benefit, which applies to all parents, will give our co-workers the opportunity to spend more time with their families when welcoming a child. Our co-workers are our most important resource, which is why we continue to invest in helping them reach their dream.”
Ikea’s generous parental leave policy is a growing trend among a number of successful companies in recent years, including the following:
Johnson & Johnson added eight weeks of paid leave to its parental leave policy, bumping up leave time to 17 weeks for c-section moms, 15 weeks for non-c-section moms, and bringing up the minimum to nine weeks for dads, adoptive parents and same-sex parents.
Netflix blew everyone out of the water last year by announcing unlimited, fully-paid parental leave for the first year after the birth or adoption of a child.
Microsoft offers new parents up to 20 weeks of paid parental leave.
At Etsy, any employee who becomes a parent has 26 weeks of paid time off work. This includes new moms and dads — regardless of whether or not the baby was adopted — and it includes parents who used surrogates.
Since the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) guarantees no paid time off for new parents — only six weeks of unpaid, job-protected time for eligible employees — it’s fantastic more companies are stepping up to help families recover and adjust after welcoming a child to the family. Sure, we’ve still got a long way to go here in the U.S. when it comes to taking care of new moms following childbirth. But policies like Ikea’s are a baby step in the right direction.

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Thursday, December 8

IKEA Introduces Trailblazing Parental Leave Policy in Retail Sector

Dec 8, 2016 | Entrepreneur

By KIM LACHANCE SHANDROW

Sad but true: The U.S. is still one of only four nations in the world that fails to guarantee the right to paid maternity leave. Sweden, on the other hand, is unequivocally the sweetest country for working moms or dads, lavishing parents to a whopping 480 paid days off per child. Several top companies here in the U.S. are finally starting to catch up with the progressive Scandinavian nation, particularly in the tech sector.
Most recently, IKEA expanded its paid benefits to up to four months for new parents -- a major breakthrough for a company in the retail industry. Last year, Netflix unveiled a trailblazing unlimited paid leave policy for new moms and dads, inviting them to take off “as much time as they want” in the year following the birth or adoption of a child. Software giant Microsoft also upped its parental leave offering. Adobe quickly followed suit, doubling the paid maternity leave it grants employees.
The message is clear and long overdue: American companies are finally grasping that workers with families require more flexibility than ever before. To get the best out of them -- and to keep them from jumping ship -- employers must step up and seriously support their charges, and not just in the workplace. On the homefront, too. It’s a smart business move, one that we hope goes viral, coast to coast.
Here are 14 leading U.S. companies offering exceptionally generous parental leave policies:IKEAImage credit: JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/Stringer | Getty Images
Swedish furniture company IKEA has expanded paid benefits to up to four months for parents with a newborn in their lives. The policy applies to dads, moms and adoptive or foster parents, and to both salaried and hourly employees as well.
Extended paid leave like this is not as common in the retail sector as it is in industries such as technology and finance. For example, Wal-Mart offers 90 days paid maternity leave and 14 days paternity or adoption leave to salaried employees. Target doesn’t commit to any paid parental leave policies.EtsyImage credit: Bloomberg | Getty Images
Started in April of this year, Etsy announced it will be giving parents up to six months of paid parental leave. Not only that, but the company has gone so far as to offer new adoption and surrogacy benefits as well coaching programs for new parents and their managers.
“It was the most important way I could have spent that time. Building a company is a team effort that includes the immense support we get from our families,” said Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson.SpotifyImage credit: JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/Stringer | Getty Images
With its roots in Sweden, it’s no surprise the music streaming company offers an awesome parental leave policy. Spotify offers six months of paid leave to full-time moms and dads across the globe. Employees are also offered flexible work options such as the ability to work from home or a part-time schedule upon their return.
The policy is “born out of a Swedish culture that places an emphasis on a healthy work/family balance, gender equality and the ability for every parent to spend quality time with the people that matter most in their lives,” writes Spotify’s chief HR officer Katarina Berg.NetflixImage credit: Shutterstock
The 18-year-old Los Gatos, Calif.-based streaming media provider offers new parents unlimited paid leave for one year. The pioneering policy enables them to take off as much time as they want during the first 12 months following the birth or adoption of a child. They also have the choice to come back part-time, full-time or to “return and then go back out as needed.” Not bad on top of unlimited vacation time. The company went even further in early 2016 to include hourly workers in the policy as well.
Related: Netflix Sets a New Standard With Unlimited Parental LeaveAdobeImage credit: Adobe | Facebook
Starting Nov. 1, the multimedia software juggernaut will provide 16 weeks of paid time off for primary caregivers, “allowing new parents more time to spend bonding with their children.” The generous policy, available to Adobe’s 6,000 U.S. workers, will be extended to mothers and fathers who become parents “through childbirth, surrogacy, adoption or foster care.” With combined medical and parental leave, birth mothers who work at the San Jose, Calif.-based company -- which views its employees as its “most important assets” -- will be eligible for a total of up to 26 weeks of paid leave.TwitterImage credit: Twitter | Facebook
Birth mothers receive a none-too-shabby 20 weeks of paid maternity leave at the eight-year-old company. Meanwhile, new fathers and adoptive parents at Twitter get 10 weeks paid time off. Further cementing its commitment to supporting families with children, the San Francisco, Calif.-based tech social media mammoth also hosts new parent and new parent-to-be roundtables on a quarterly basis. During the meetups, moms and dads ask questions about leave and swap war stories from the messy trenches of parenthood.

Related: Twitter: What Went Wrong

GoogleImage credit: Google | Facebook
Google, which will soon morph into Alphabet, grants biological moms 18 weeks of fully paid and vested maternity leave. Mothers who experience complications during childbirth are given 22 weeks paid time off. Primary caregivers, regardless of gender, are eligible for up to 12 weeks of paid baby-bonding leave, adoptive and surrogate caregivers included. Non-primary caregivers can carve out up to 7 paid weeks off.
On the heels of its maternal leave expansion from 12 weeks to 18 weeks in 2007, Google reported an uptick employee retention. “It just felt like the right thing to do,” a company spokesperson told The Atlantic. Additional perks for parents include priority placement at Bright Horizon child care centers across the U.S. and $500 in “baby bonding bucks.”
Cool fact: Google’s first employee to go out on maternity leave is current YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki. She has taken a total of five parental leaves since joining Google in 1999.Johnson & JohnsonImage credit: Johnson & Johnson | Facebook
Perhaps best known for its baby products, Johnson & Johnson sure knows how to take care of those who take care of babies. New parents, whether by birth or adoption, who work for the 129-year-old consumer products conglomerate are privy to grocery and laundry pick-up services. Mothers get all of up to 17 weeks of paid leave and fathers nine weeks. The Brunswick, N.J.-based legacy brand’s recently expanded parental leave policy extends to parental units of all stripes -- maternal, paternal, same-sex or adoptive. Time off can be spread outover the first year following birth or adoption.
Related: Johnson & Johnson Just Gave New Parents Seven More Weeks of Paid LeaveFacebookImage credit: maxpro | Shutterstock
Facebook, and its hot photo-sharing subsidiary Instagram, furnishes all new mother and father employees with 17 weeks of paid leave. Additionally, the Menlo Park, Calif.-based social media behemoth provides a $4,000 “baby cash” stipend for each child adopted or born.

We’re curious as to how long founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg will head out on leave when he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, welcome their first child, a baby girl. Zuck can divvy it up over a year or use it all at once, that is unless the head honcho is an exception to the rule. Facebook also subsidizes adoption programs, child care, and, somewhat controversially, surrogate parenting, sperm donation and egg freezing initiatives. Goldman SachsImage credit: Goldman Sachs | Official Website
Per its policy published on its official website, Goldman Sachs provides new moms with 16 weeks of paid leave. That includes four weeks of parenting leave at full pay for primary caregivers. Fathers and non-primary caregivers are eligible for four weeks of paid leave. Paid surrogacy and adoption leave is also offered for up to 16 weeks. Breastfeeding new mothers at the New York City-based global financial services firm enjoy around-the-clock access to lactation consultants and are privy to use on-site lactation rooms.
Related: The Ban on Talking in the Elevator at Goldman Sachs Can Finally Go AwayRedditImage credit: Reddit | Facebook
Reddit, which has been struggling to clear a path following a string of controversial leadership decisions, offers new mothers and fathers 17 weeks of paid parenting leave. The San Francisco-based company allows for leave to be taken within the first year in two-week stretches at minimum. Like Zynga, HubSpot and Groupon, the troubled social-sharing platform also offers unlimited vacation time. Bank of AmericaImage credit: Alexey Rotanov | Shutterstock
The global banking giant boasts a progressive family “life management” program, offering employees who have worked at the company for at least a year up to 12 weeks of paid maternity, paternity and adoption leave. If more time is needed, workers can take up to 14 weeks additional time off without pay.
When it comes to adoption, the Charlotte, N.C.-based banking giant goes above and beyond, reimbursing eligible employees up to $8,000 per legally adopted child. BofA also pays for up to 25 days of childcare center babysitting for kids ages six weeks to 12 years of age, should the primary caregiver be temporarily unavailable during work hours (as in out sick or on vacation). It also reimburses employees up to $240 a month per child for childcare costs incurred while working.
Related: Randi Zuckerberg's Simple Secret for Juggling Career and KidsMicrosoftImage credit: Microsoft | Facebook
On Nov. 1, Microsoft will roll out its most expansive parental leave policy yet. Piggybacking the tech industry trend, the Redmond, Wash.-based global software colossus will lengthen its maternity and paternity leave to 12 weeks at full pay, with an additional eight weeks of paid leave for birth mothers. Leave can be taken all at once or in intervals. Birth mothers also have the option to go out on short-term disability during the two weeks leading up to their due dates.
Related: The 7 Books Bill Gates Wants You to Read This SummerYahooImage credit: KAREN BLEIER | Getty Images
In 2013, after giving birth herself, CEO Marissa Mayer installed a parental leave policy letting mothers take 16 weeks paid leave and fathers eight weeks. The company also offers them an additional $500 to help with any expenses related to the newborn.

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Ikea Just Became The Company Every Parent Wants To Work For

Dec 8, 2016 | Good

Ikea, the world’s favorite Swedish furniture company, has also become every parent’s dream company to work for.
The do-it-yourself furniture giant says it will expand its paid parental leave benefits program up to four months total for all of its U.S. hourly and salaried workers. This includes both male and female employees who become birth parents, adoptive parents, or foster parents, according to USA Today. Efforts like these are becoming more widespread as retaining top talent becomes a more serious consideration among large organizations.
The benefits go into effect on January 1 and signal a moment where it has become a far more decent place to work. This illuminates a bit about how Ikea sees itself and a bit about the market as a whole. Large employers are losing talent to smaller, more nimble companies, as the younger employees are more comfortable with shifting around during their career. Not only that, but Inc.com says top talent now sees themselves as “businesses of one,” looking at employment as “partnerships” rather than as traditional employees.
Ikea and other large retailers are doing their best to stave off that sort of thinking, especially in an economy that seems to be getting better for that particular worker. Lars Peterson, president of Ikea’s U.S. operations says, “We see it as an investment in our co-workers, which we view as our most important resource.”
Netflix became the shimmering company on a hill for parents when they announced unlimited parental leave for their salaried employees. But other’s have followed suit. Hilton Hotels, Adobe Systems, and Chobani have expanded their parental leave policies in the hopes of building loyalty with their employees.
Of course, the United States is one of the few developed nations in the world that doesn’t have some kind of national parental leave law in place. This means many things to people in the workforce, as expensive childcare and the juggling act of working soon after giving birth begins.
This kind of policy is part of the solution, and other companies may want to lean in to. Still, according to the Department of Labor, only 12 percent of U.S. workers have access to paid family leave through their employer.
Even with the policy change Ikea is making in the United States, it may just make more sense to be their employee in Sweden. Those folks get 480 days—well over a year—of paid parental leave.

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Will expanded parental leave boost IKEA’s recruitment and retention efforts?

Dec 8, 2016 | RetailWire

By George Anderson

IKEA’s workers in the U.S. will have a new perk in their employment packages beginning on Jan. 1. The company announced that it is expanding its existing policy to offer up to four months of paid parental leave to hourly and salaried employees.
The new leave policy covers new mothers and fathers as well as those adopting a child or becoming foster parents. Under the new plan, individuals who have worked with IKEA for a year will be eligible to receive 100 percent of their base pay for the first six weeks of leave and 50 percent for the next six. Those who have been with IKEA for three years or more will receive 100 percent of their base wages for eight weeks and 50 percent for the next eight. These perks are in addition to the six to eight-weeks of disability pay available to workers regardless of their time with the company.
Only 12 percent of private sector workers have paid parental leave through their companies, according to USA Today, citing Labor Department data.
“At IKEA, we believe time with family and friends is so important for a healthy work-life balance and a happy and productive workforce,” said Lars Petersson, IKEA US president, in a statement. “This benefit, which applies to all parents, will give our co-workers the opportunity to spend more time with their families when welcoming a child. Our co-workers are our most important resource, which is why we continue to invest in helping them reach their dream.”
In a press release to announce its new policy, the furniture chain explained that it recently conducted an employee survey and found that achieving work/life balance was among workers’ top personal priorities.
IKEA is touting its leave policy and other steps as evidence of its employee-friendly culture. Other initiatives include:
Increases in the minimum wage it pays workers in both 2015 and 2016;
A reduction of between five and 25 percent in what the company deducts from employee paychecks for medical insurance in its 2017 fiscal year;
A profit-sharing program called Tack, which means “thank you” in Swedish.
New IKEA US parental leave policy expands benefit to up to four months paid leave for both hourly and salaried co-workers – IKEA US
Ikea to offer expanded parental leave in stronger job market – The Associated Press/The Seattle Times (tiered sub.)
Ikea expands parental leave to all U.S. workers – USA Today
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Will the steps IKEA has taken positively affect its employee recruitment and retention efforts? How competitive is the market for retail employees? How else are retail employers gaining an edge over competitors in the hunt for hourly and salaried talent?

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Consumer Minute: IKEA Parental Leave, SeaWorld Jobs

Dec 8, 2016 | ABC Columbia

IKEA is getting ready to launch Paid Parental Leave and SeaWorld is cutting jobs due to attendance.
Rochelle Dean has this morning’s consumer news.

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IKEA Offers Up To 4 Months Paid Parental Leave In Rare Move For Retail Sector

Dec 8, 2016 | thegazette24.com

Swedish furniture chain IKEA will now offer up to four months paid parental leave to its U.S. workers of all genders, whether they’re salaried or hourly — and irrespective of whether they’re becoming parents via birth, adoption, or fostering.

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6 Things You Need To Know Today (December 8)

Dec 8, 2016 | Mind Body Green Blog

By Lindsay Kellner

1. It's hard to find good plus-size fashion, even when you're a Vogue cover girl.
Vogue UK's editor-in-chief Alexandra Shulman criticized unnamed brands for their unwillingness to dress model Ashley Graham, size 14, for her January cover. In her editor's letter Shulman wrote, "It seems strange to me that while the rest of the world is desperate for fashion to embrace broader definitions of physical beauty, some of our most famous fashion brands appear to be travelling in the opposite—and, in my opinion, unwise—direction." (Quartz)
2. Not getting your eight hours could lead to sugar cravings.
A new study found a link between lack of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and the desire to eat sugary and fatty foods. The correlation rests in the prefrontal cortex, where our cravings are thought to register. It's suggested that if we're lacking in quality (REM) sleep, activity in the prefrontal cortex can increase and cause us to want high-sugar, less-nutrient-dense foods. (Science Daily)
3. Fast breathing has a surprising effect on brain function.
Research shows that in addition to calming us down, breathwork can also rile us up. A new study on how people breathe when presented with fear found that as our breath becomes faster in the wake of perceived danger, our brain's response time speeds up and our memory improves. (Science Of Us)
4. C-sections are more common than ever, and it might be a result of evolution.
Before surgical intervention was an option, women whose babies couldn't fit through the birth canal would have often died in childbirth—as would the baby. As a result, women with narrower pelvises (and often their children) wouldn't have passed on those genes, resulting in an evolutionary trend toward wider pelvises and smaller babies. Caesarean sections have allowed women with narrower pelvises and their children to live through childbirth, giving them the opportunity to pass on genes for narrow pelvises and larger babies. This, in turn, increases the need for C-sections. (CNN)
5. Fake news is becoming a real problem.
The first large-scale public opinion poll (conducted by BuzzFeed News) found that fake news headlines fool American adults 75 percent of the time. False news is a hot topic right now, and this research suggests that many people are not able to successfully evaluate the legitimacy of the headlines they read—especially when they get their news from social media. (BuzzFeed)
6. Ikea is making big strides in parental leave and care.
Everyone's favorite Scandinavian furniture company will offer its U.S. employees (including hourly workers) up to four months paid parental leave for both parents, including adoptive and foster parents. (Quartz)

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IKEA Expanding Parental Leave

Dec 8, 2016 | KIDY Fox

Swedish retailer IKEA is offering longer parental leave to U.S. employees who are new parents.
The chain will offer its 13,000 salaried and hourly employees up to four months of paid paternal leave.
Effective January 1, the policy will apply to mothers and fathers who are birth, adoptive or foster parents.
The move follows pay increases in the past two years that brought the average minimum hourly wage to $11.87.
With unemployment at a nine-year low, many companies are trying to retain workers.
Federal law requires only unpaid leave for the birth or adoption of a child. Overall, paid maternity and paternity leave in the U.S. lags behind standards established elsewhere.
Still, companies like Netflix, Adobe and Microsoft have made changes recently.

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Wednesday, December 7

IKEA is going to offer paid parental leave to the workers who need it most

Dec 7, 2016 | Quartz

By Oliver Staley

IKEA will offer all its US employees up to four months of paid parental leave, making the retailer one of the first companies to extend benefits to hourly employees that are usually available only to white-collar workers.
IKEA is joining companies like Ernst & Young, Deloitte and Bank of America in offering 16 weeks of leave to both parents, as well as adoptive and foster parents. Employees who have been at IKEA a year or more are eligible for up to three months, with six weeks at half pay and six weeks at 50% pay, while employees with three years of tenure can take four months, with two months at half pay. Mothers are also eligible for up to eight weeks of additional short-term disability leave after childbirth. IKEA has 42 stores and more than 14,000 workers in the US. The policy, announced yesterday (Dec. 6), takes effect Jan. 1.
The US, alone alone among industrialized nations, has no federal law mandating paid leave and only a handful of states require it. Under the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, passed during President Bill Clinton’s administration, most employers must offer up to 12 weeks unpaid leave during any 12-month period to care for family members, including newborns. FMLA also covers serious illnesses of full-time employee, including pregnancy.
Because FMLA doesn’t require pay during leave, most new parents must depend on the goodwill of their employers to get paid while taking time off, but only 12% of employees are covered by such corporate parental leave policies, and those that do are often higher-paid, salaried workers. Low-income families without access to paid leave must either take unpaid leave, return to work before they are ready, or quit their jobs, all of which cost them money.
In IKEA’s native Sweden, of course, none of this would be an issue. Through Sweden’s taxpayer-funded social welfare system, parents share up to 480 days (almost 16 months) of paid parental leave, with 90 days reserved for father, and can use it until their child is eight years old.
Few, if any, large companies with a workforce of hourly employees have been willing to go as far as IKEA US (most employers don’t disclose their policies, so it’s hard to know for sure). Last year, Hilton Hotels announced a new policy covering all 40,000 US workers, including housekeepers and waiters, offering all new birth mothers 10 weeks of leave, but fathers and adoptive parents only get two weeks. Levi Strauss & Co. began offering all 5,700 US employees two months of leave starting Dec. 1, while mothers get additional time through short-term disability insurance.
While supporters of a federal paid leave policy had placed their hopes in a bill passing during a Hillary Clinton administration, Donald Trump campaigned on his plan for six weeks of paid leave for new mothers, funded through unemployment insurance. Until he follows up his promise with policy, private employers will have to fill the gap.

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Ikea's New Leave Policy Offers Up to 4 Months Paid for New Mothers and Fathers

Dec 7, 2016 | ABC News

The Scandinavian superstore best known for its ready-to-assemble furniture is also making headlines for its newly unveiled parental leave program.
Ikea's U.S. division announced in a statement Tuesday it was offering up to four months of paid parental leave to "salaried and hourly workers, both mothers and fathers, and adoptive and foster parents."
Lars Petersson, the head of IKEA in the U.S. said the company believes that "time with family and friends is so important for a healthy work-life balance and a happy and productive workforce.”
“This benefit, which applies to all parents, will give our co-workers the opportunity to spend more time with their families when welcoming a child. Our co-workers are our most important resource, which is why we continue to invest in helping them reach their dream,” Petersson added.
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Ikea's new family leave program has also left many wondering if this could be a signal of major changes, or a new standard for parental leave, for many families in the U.S., as the the country continues to remain the only industrialized nation that does not offer paid maternity leave on the national level.
Currently in the U.S. some workers are legally permitted to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave, but there remains no federal mandatory paid leave policy for new mothers and fathers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The U.S. Department of Labor said in a report last year that only 12 percent of U.S. private sector workers have access to paid family leave through their employer.
California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island are currently the only three states to offer paid family and medical leave, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Beginning in 2018, New York will also offer paid family leave. The programs in all four states are funded through employee-paid payroll taxes, and administered through the state's disability programs, according to the NCSL.
Ikea joins a growing list of companies including Bank of America, Spotify and Netflix who are often seen in the business and tech worlds as offering generous parental leave programs.
Netflix, for example, is offering "unlimited" paid parental leave for salaried employees for up to a year. Meanwhile, Bank of America provides full- and part-time employees with up to 16 weeks paid leave after working there for a year.
Ikea's revamped family leave policy will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2017.

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Feel Good After Assembling Your Ikea Dresser? Not As Good As Ikea Employees Feel Right Now

Dec 7, 2016 | Forbes

By Georgene Huang

Today, Ikea announced a groundbreaking parental leave policy for its U.S. employees. The company is joining a wave of employers (mostly in the technology industry) who have recently made headlines for expanded or improved their parental leave policies. Indeed, Ikea appears to be a stand-out in its industry, offering the most generous family leave policy of any retailer in America.
Ikea’s new paid leave benefits apply to all employees regardless of whether they are hourly or salaried, so long as they have worked at the company for at least one year. After one year of tenure, an employee will receive 6 weeks of paid time off at their full wage and another 6 weeks of paid time off at half-pay. After three years of tenure, an employee will receive 8 weeks of paid time off at their full salary, and another 8 weeks of paid time off at half-pay. Those with shorter tenures will still have access to the company’s short-term disability plan (which will apply to mothers who need time off after having a baby to physically recover) or leave that is paid or guaranteed under state law.
Another feature of Ikea’s leave policy that is particularly impressive is that it applies to all employees (regardless of whether they are hourly or salaried), and regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Adoptive parents, too, are eligible for the benefits.
Brick-and-morter retailers, in particular, have plenty of reason to avoid implementing such generous leave policies. By virtue of their business model, they often have the largest workforces and a large percentage of hourly and blue-collar employees. In other words, it may be more expensive per employee for a large retailer than any other type of employer. Ikea employs approximately 14,000 employees in the U.S. both within their stores and at corporate headquarters.
When executives at Ikea explained why they made a multimillion dollar investment in this benefit, the President of Ikea US, Lars Petersson explained that this wasn’t to emulate practices in Europe, where IKEA is headquartered. Rather, he said, “We know a workforce that has an opportunity to spend time with family and friends and particularly to welcome a new child will be happier and therefore do a better job.”
I believe Petersson's instinct to be correct and supported by data. Indeed, Fairygodboss has found a significant lock-step correlation between female employee job satisfaction and the length of maternity leave taken. In other words, women who reported taking more than 12 weeks of paid leave also reported higher average job satisfaction levels compared to women who took exactly 12 weeks of leave. And women who took exactly 12 weeks of paid maternity leave in turn reported more job satisfaction than women who took less than 12 weeks of paid leave.
It would make perfect sense if the same relationship between job satisfaction and the amount of paid leave taken held true for male employees and fathers. And it's hard to image that IKEA employees who start families will soon forget the support of an employer during such a big transitional period in their lives.
If you notice some happy employees during your next shopping trip to IKEA, you may now be able to guess why.
Georgene Huang is CEO and co-founder of Fairygodboss, a career and job community for women, by women.

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IKEA's new parental leave policy definitely raises the bar for American retailers.

Dec 7, 2016 | Upworthy

By Robbie Couch

If you're an expecting new parent, there's probably a million and one questions racing through your mind at any given moment.
What's the correct way to hold a newborn? How many onesies is too many? Is it bad that I've never changed a diaper?
Oh, and how in the world am I going to balance work with being a parent?
That last thought clearly doesn't belong. Yet, it's still one on the minds of most American workers about to welcome little ones into their families.Far too many U.S. workers lack paid parental leave, and those in blue collar and low-wage positions — like fast food and retail — are most affected.This magical button delivers Upworthy stories to you on Facebook:
You've probably heard this line before, but it definitelybears repeating: The U.S. is the only industrialized country in the world to not have a national paid maternity leave policy. Unfortunately, many businesses won't take the initiative to provide that sort of benefit if they're not required to; a mere 13% of American workers had access to paid family leave in 2014, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.View image on Twitter FollowSusan Wile Schwarz @SusanWSchwarz
Pathetic. #paidmaternityleave10:13 AM - 14 Jan 2015 2020 Retweets 77 likes
Having time off after expanding your family benefits parents and babies alike. Studies suggestthat paid parental leave lowers infant mortality while improving the mental health of mothers, among other critical factors. Dads, too, are more likely to become involved in family activities, forming beneficial bonds with their kids.
While the U.S. has a lot of work to do on the issue, the tide (slowly, but surely) seems to be turning. And news out of Swedish home furnishings giant IKEA this week is the latest proof.IKEA announced on Dec. 6, 2016, that starting next year, most of its employees will have access to new, generous paid parental leave benefits.
If you've worked at IKEA for at least one year, you'll be able to take six weeks of fully paid parental leave and another six weeks of 50% pay. The benefit is company-wide too: It doesn't matter if you're salary or hourly, working at corporate or at an individual store, an expecting mother or an expecting father, LGBTQ or straight, adopting or fostering a new little one — you'll have access to the policy.
What's more, if you've worked at IKEA for more than three years, your paid time off increases to four months (eight weeks of full-pay, eight weeks of half-pay).ADVERTISEMENTSHARE
Photo by Thord Nilsson/AFP/Getty Images.The move came about because IKEA actually listened to its employees. And their message was clear: Employees wanted better work-life balance.
According to a statement from the company, research into its employees' priorities found that work-life balance and moments spent with loved ones topped the list.
"We believe time with family and friends is so important for a healthy work-life balance and a happy and productive workforce,” said Lars Petersson, president of IKEA USA. “Our co-workers are our most important resource, which is why we continue to invest in helping them reach their dream.”
And as it turns out, investing in your workers pays off. It might seem counterintuitive to let an employee leave the company for such an extended period of time, but providing paid parental leave has been known to be good for business, helping companies recruit top talent and significantly lowering costly worker turnover, among other upsides.SHARE
Photo by Solum, Stian Lysberg/AFP/Getty Images.
IKEA isn't stopping here either. The company also wanted to be more accommodating to employees who don't want to become parents and has introduced a new sabbatical program for them as well. As The Huffington Post reports, the program gives workers with at least seven years' experience three months of unpaid leave with the guarantee their job will be waiting when they return. The more years under a worker's belt past seven, the more time off they can take advantage of.New and expecting parents have a lot on their plate, and whether they'll be able to make ends meet between work and parenting should never be part of the equation.
"The home is our arena,” Petersson told The Huffington Post. “We think that it’s really important that people working for us get a chance to experience their home, especially when you’re welcoming a new family member."
This way, new parents can mostly worry about messy diapers and finding the time to sleep — notwhere their next paycheck is coming from.

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Ikea expands U.S. workers' paid parental leave – for both parents

Dec 7, 2016 | Philly Voice

By Elisa Lala

As of Jan. 1, Ikea’s U.S. employees will be eligible for up to four months of paid parental leave, CNN Money reports.
The expanded family leave will apply to birth parents, as well as adoptive parents and foster parents, and to salaried and hourly U.S. workers.
Under the plan, U.S. employees who have been with the company for a year will be eligible for six weeks of leave at full pay, followed by six weeks at half pay. Those who have been with the company for three years will be eligible for eight weeks at full pay, followed by eight weeks at half pay.
The company's current family-leave plan allows for five days of paid leave and six to eight weeks of short-term disability, while Ikea's employees in Sweden are offered 480 days of parental leave.
The president of the Swedish company's U.S. operations told USA Todaythat expanding paid family leave for its U.S. workers is seen as a way to both attract and retain top talent.
Only 12 percent of U.S. private-sector workers have access to paid family leave through their employer, according to the latest United States Department of Labor statistics.
There are currently three Ikea locations in Pennsylvania — South Philadelphia, Conshohocken and Pittsburgh — and two in New Jersey — Paramus and Elizabeth. You can apply for a job here.

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Should U.S. companies expand family-leave policies? Tell us what you think

Dec 7, 2016 | Staten Island Live

By Diane C. Lore

Ikea USA, the ready-to-assemble furniture and home decor retailer, has announced it is expanding its employee paid-leave benefits for families, in an effort to attract and retain new and experienced workers.
Effective January 1, 2017, the company said it will offer a new family leave policy providing up to four months of paid leave for both its salaried and hourly workers.
The leave is in addition to the six to eight weeks of short-term disability available to all workers. Federal law requires only unpaid leave.
Lars Petersson, president of Ikea's U.S. division, told the Associated Press the parental leave expansion will give employees a better feeling about the workplace and will mean better service to customers.
"We want them to take time off," he said. "The home is our arena. We think the home is the most important place for people."
In the past few years, Netflix, Adobe, Microsoft and Target have all made adjustments to their employee leave policies.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has also expanded family leave policy for city employees.
Non-union city employees to get paid parental leave
Mayor Bill de Blasio announces a new six weeks' paid parental leave policy affecting thousands of New York City employees.
The topic has become a hot-button issue, with the U.S. widely regarded as lagging behind other countries in its employee- leave policies. Only 13 percent of workers in the U.S. have paid family leave, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
(Should more companies adopt or expand their paid family leave policies for employees? Tell us what you think about the issue in the Comment section below.)

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Ikea's new parental leave will benefit hundreds of St. Louis employees

Dec 7, 2016 | St. Louis Business Journal

By Angela Mueller

Ikea's new parental leave policy will be available to hundreds of the retailers' employees in St. Louis.
Nearly 79 percent of the employees at the local store, or 205 of the 261 total employees, will be eligible for the extended parental leave as of the first of the year, the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
The Swedish home goods retailer announced Tuesday that it will now offer up to four months paid parental leave to its U.S. workers, including salaried and hourly workers. The leave will be available to both mothers and fathers and includes adoptive and foster parents.
Employees who have been with Ikea for more than one year will be eligible for up to three months of paid leave to be with their family, receiving 100 percent of their base wage for the first six weeks and 50 percent for an additional eight weeks.
"This benefit, which applies to all parents, will give our co-workers the opportunity to spend more time with their families when welcoming a child," Lars Petersson, Ikea US president, said in a statement.

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IKEA IS LOOKING TO EXPAND ITS PARENTAL LEAVE

Dec 7, 2016 | Trinity News Daily

By William Bland

Ikea is looking to expand its parental leave program as the company announced that it will now be offering an additional 4 months of paid leave.
Ikea, a Swedish company, has come to be considered the largest global furniture retailer. The company is specialized in the design and sale of ready-to-assemble furniture, home accessories, and appliances.
Now, the United States division of the popular company has announced that it will be expanding its employees’ benefits.
In a move that will target all of its United States employees, the company declared that it will expand the parental leave.
With an approximated nation-wide number of about 14,000 workers, Ikea stated that through this move, it hopes to keep its employees. Besides ensuring its current workers, the company is also looking to attract new talents or to retain the already employed ones.
The new, expanded parental leave options will be coming into effect starting with January 1, 2017. The program will include a larger category of employees than it may have been expected.
Besides the already anticipated salaried employees, the new system will also address hourly or part-time workers. Also, it will advantage more than just moms-to-be.
The newly extended parental leave will also include fathers wishing to take time off so as to take care of their newborns. It will also include foster and adoptive parents, who wish to spend time with the children.
The new program will expand the current paid leave period with up to four months. All the aforementioned categories should be eligible to benefit from the new system.
Depending on the time they have spent with the company, the newly expanded leave will offer various additional benefits.
As such, the ones to have been working with the company for a three or more years period of time should be able to claim the four months of paid leave.
During the first 8 weeks of their paid leave, such employees will receive all their base wage. In the remaining 8 weeks, the employees will be receiving 50 percent of their base wage.
Employees to have worked less than the aforementioned time period will be eligible for an additional three months of paid parental leave.
As such, they should receive all the base wage during the first 6 weeks of the leave. The ensuing 6 weeks time, they will be receiving 50 percent of the said wage value.
The expanded parental leave program will be added in addition to the Short Term Disability system, which is currently available to co-workers.
Mona Astra Liss, an Ikea spokesperson, stated that the program will be rolled out in all 42 of the United States-based company stores.
Lars Petersson, the Ikea U.S. operations director stated that the company considers the new program an advantage.
According to Petersson, the extended parental leave is seen as an investment in the Ike co-workers. The co-workers which are considered the company’s most important resource, as stated by Petersson.
With the new parental leave, Ikea will be joining in amongst the companies to offer such extended benefits.
Only last year, Netflix, the video-streaming companies, announced an unexpected such program. Netflix now offers its salaried employees unlimited paid parental leave.
Since their announcement, other big companies have changed their leave systems. As such, companies the likes of Adobe Systems, Chobani, or the Hilton Hotels hotel chain have increased their parental paid days number.

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Ikea expands paid leave for new parents

Dec 7, 2016 | Furniture Today

By Clint Engel

Ikea US is broadly expanding its parental leave policy starting next year, providing up to four months of paid leave for salaried and hourly workers adding new family members.
The policy change benefits mothers and fathers, and adoptive and foster parents and “was introduced to ensure co-workers have the opportunity to bond with their children and connect as a new family,” the Top 100 company said in a release.
Employees who have been with Ikea for more than one year can take up to three months of paid leave to be with family, receiving 100% of their base wage for the first six weeks and 50% for an additional six weeks. Employees with the company for three years or more get 100% for the first eight weeks and 50% for another eight weeks.
Previously Ikea was offering five days of paid leave and short-term disability for six to eight weeks. The short-term disability remains in place in addition to the new leave benefits and is available to any employee regardless of tenure, the company said.
“At Ikea, we believe time with family and friends is so important for a healthy work-life balance and a happy and productive workforce,” Ikea US President Lars Petersson said in a statement. “This benefit, which applies to all parents, will give our co-workers the opportunity to spend more time with their families when welcoming a child. Our co-workers are our most important resource, which is why we continue to invest in helping them reach their dream.”
The retailer recently conducted research into what co-workers thought were the most important aspects of the “American Dream” and “work-life balance and moments spent with family and friends” topped the list.
“The new expanded parental leave benefit is the latest demonstration of Ikea’s commitment to creating an outstanding work experience for co-workers,” the company said.
The parental leave benefit change is the latest in a series of employee-friendly actions by the retailer, which changed its minimum wage structure to reflect local living costs in 2015, upping the average hourly wage that year and then again in June 2016 to $11.87 an hour.

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Ikea Expanding Paid Parental Leave to U.S. Employees

Dec 7, 2016 | Total Retail

By Taylor Knight

Ikea’s U.S. division will begin offering longer parental leave to all employees who are new parents starting in the New Year. The furniture retailer announced this week that it will offer 13,000 salaried and hourly employees (in the U.S.) up to four months of paid parental leave. The policy applies to mothers and fathers who are birth, adoptive or foster parents. Previously, the company had given women giving birth five days of paid leave in addition to six to eight weeks of paid disability leave.
Total Retail’s Take: This is a great way to make sure the company is able to keep good talent in an improving job market — with unemployment at a nine-year low, many companies are trying to retain workers. Other companies, like Netflix and Microsoft, already have initiatives like this in place. The U.S. trails behind in maternity and paternity leave standards — after short-term disability leave, paid leave is sparse. Federal law requires only unpaid leave for the birth or adoption of a child. In addition to the parental leave, Ikea is offering an unpaid sabbatical for all employees, based on tenure, for up to a year.

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IKEA announces generous parental leave policy for all workers

Dec 7, 2016 | The Christian Science Monitor

By Lonnie Shekhtman

The Sweden-based furniture company IKEA announced Monday that its 13,000 salaried and hourly workers in the US will see their parental leave benefits generously expanded, in some cases doubling to four months.
Starting Jan. 1, the leave benefit will apply to both mothers and fathers, and include adoptive and foster parents. Those who have worked for IKEA for more than one year will get three months of parental leave, with the first six weeks fully paid, and an additional six weeks paid at 50 percent of a worker's base wage.
Those who have worked for IKEA for three or more years will get up to four months of paid leave, the company said. While on leave, these workers will earn 100 percent of their base wage for the first eight weeks and 50 percent for an additional eight weeks. This is on top of the six to eight weeks of paid disability leave the company offers to all workers, and IKEA’s move in 2015 to raise the average minimum hourly pay for its US workers to $11.47. This was a 10 percent bump in IKEA’s average hourly wage, and $4.62 above the federal minimum wage, as The Christian Science Monitor reported last year.Recommended: The 10 best small US cities for working parents
“Our co-workers are our most important resource, which is why we continue to invest in helping them reach their dream,” Lars Petersson, IKEA’s US president, said in Monday’s announcement.The 10 best small US cities for working parentsPHOTOS OF THE DAY Photos of the Day 12/07
IKEA’s move, particularly inclusion of part-time workers, is unusually generous among US companies, especially retailers that can easily replace their low-skilled workers. (IKEA’S home country of Sweden has some of the most progressive leave policies on the planet, with new parents eligible for 480 days – or about 15 months – of leave at 80 percent of their pay.)
In the US, unlike in the rest of the developed world, new mothers and fathers are not guaranteed any paid time off. The only other countries with no nationally guaranteed leavefor parents of newborns are Suriname, Papua New Guinea, and several small Pacific island nations, according to World Policy Center, a nonprofit policy researcher.
So it’s up to US employers whether they want to offer the benefit or not. Paid family time is available only to about 12 percent of private-sector workers, according to the federal government, and the length of that paid time off varies widely. What's more, such benefits are mainly accessible to high-earning workers who need them least.
Without a federal policy, and uncertainty about the potential of a comprehensive one under the incoming administration, American workers are left to rely on the generosity of their employers. In the last couple of years, some companies have made great strides in the paid leave arena. Video-streaming service Netflix now offers unlimited time off to new parents during the first year of a child’s birth or adoption to its salaried workers, with a lower level of benefits available to hourly staff. Microsoft, Etsy, Adobe Systems, Hilton Hotels, and Chobani yogurt are among other companies that have recently expanded paid leave benefits for new parents.
States also are starting to implement parental leave policies locally, funding them through different mechanisms, including payroll taxes. New York State passed a new law this spring giving all new parents 12 weeks of partially paid leave. California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island have passed similar legislation. Washington, DC is considering a bill that would guarantee 11 weeks of paid family leave for new parents, plus eight weeks leave to care for a sick parent or grandparent.

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Seven stories you may have missed Tuesday from the world of business

Dec 7, 2016 | Boston Globe

EDUCATION
Labor Center at UMass Amherst to be revived
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is planning to revitalize its beleaguered Labor Center, working to increase enrollment and partner with Massachusetts labor organizations to fund its internship program, the school announced Tuesday. The center, nationally renowned for training activists and labor leaders, recently lost its director and some of its funding and has seen enrollment decline. The university plans to update the Labor Center’s course offerings in an attempt to double its undergraduate numbers to 200 and maintain at least 12 new master’s students a year. The school will also provide tuition waivers for six graduate student internships, paid for by labor groups, and hire three part-time graduate teaching assistants. The strategy, which will be reevaluated after three years, was reached after chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy met with students, faculty, alumni, labor leaders, and union representatives in October. The Labor Center, one of 30 such centers nationwide, was founded after a commencement address by AFL-CIO president George Meany in 1964. — KATIE JOHNSTON
FAST FOOD
Chipotle struggles to recover from E coli outbreak
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc., the burrito chain struck by a food-safety crisis last year, suffered its worst stock decline in six weeks after deteriorating customer service led management to lose faith in its 2017 forecast. As the company works to bounce back from a widespread E. coli outbreak, it has lost its focus on the customer experience, co-chief executive Steve Ells said on Tuesday. That has slowed down lines at restaurants and undermined one of its former strengths. Amid the problems, the company is now nervous about meeting guidance for next year. “I’m not satisfied with the rate of recovery,” Ells said during a Barclays PLC investment conference in New York. “I’m particularly not satisfied with the quality of experience in some of our restaurants.” The stock fell as much as 7.8 percent to $365.33 after Ells made the comments. It closed down 7.55 percent, to $366.37. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
INSURANCE
Supreme Court upholds verdict against State Farm in whistle-blower case
A unanimous Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a jury verdict that State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. committed fraud against the federal government after 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. The justices on Tuesday rejected claims by State Farm that the whistle-blower case against the insurer should have been dismissed because its existence was leaked while it was supposed to be secret. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the court in upholding an appellate ruling that there is no requirement in federal law that the lawsuit be dismissed. Sisters Cori and Kerry Rigsby filed the fraud lawsuit on behalf of the government after they said they witnessed State Farm shifting Mississippi claims to federal flood insurance that should have been paid by private wind insurance. The Rigsbys won their case in 2013, focused on one home in North Biloxi, Miss. State Farm was ordered to pay $750,000 in damages, with 30 percent going to the Rigsbys and the rest going to the federal government. Their lawyers won $2.9 million in legal fees and expenses. The Rigsby sisters worked as independent adjusters for State Farm following Katrina. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
RETAIL
Ikea to offer longer parental leave
Ikea’s US division is offering longer parental leave to employees who are new parents, following similar overtures from tech companies like Net-flix as it strives to keep good workers in an improving job market. The ready-to-assemble furniture chain said it will offer its 13,000 salaried and hourly employees in the United States up to four months of paid parental leave. Effective Jan. 1, the policy will apply to mothers and fathers who are birth, adoptive, or foster parents. Ikea had previously given women giving birth five days of paid leave in addition to six to eight weeks of paid disability leave. Overall, paid maternity and paternity leave in the United States lags behind standards elsewhere. In the United States, paid leave after the short-term disability leave can be sparse. Federal law requires only unpaid leave for the birth or adoption of a child. Still, companies like Netflix, Adobe, and Microsoft have made changes recently. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
LABOR
Productivity rises at fastest pace in two yearsGet Todays Headlines in your inbox:Sign Up
The productivity of American workers rose in the July-September quarter at the fastest pace in two years while labor costs slowed after a big jump in the spring. Productivity increased in the third quarter at a 3.1 percent rate, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. That followed three quarterly declines and was the best showing since a 4.2 percent increase in the third quarter of 2014. Labor costs edged up at a 0.7 percent rate in the third quarter following a much faster 6.2 percent jump in the second quarter. The productivity figure was unchanged from an initial estimate a month ago while the 0.7 percent rise in unit labor costs was slightly higher than an initial estimate of a 0.3 percent gain. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEDIA
NYT senior editor to head Huffington Post
The Huffington Post, installing new leadership after the recent departure of its cofounder, Arianna Huffington, on Tuesday reached into the senior ranks of The New York Times and hired Lydia Polgreen as its top editor. Polgreen, who joined The Times in 2002, has been serving as an associate masthead editor overseeing The Times’s ambitious global expansion project. Polgreen, 41, said she was drawn to The Huffington Post’s “explicitly progressive mandate and identity,” particularly given this moment in the country’s history. She began talking to The Huffington Post before the election, she said, but the election results were “certainly a factor” in her decision. — NEW YORK TIMES
AVIATION
Alaska Airlines gets government approval to buy Virgin America
Alaska Airlines has won government approval to buy rival Virgin America after agreeing to reduce its flight-selling partnership with American Airlines. Parent company Alaska Air Group said Tuesday that it expects to close the $2.6 billion deal soon and greatly increase its presence in the huge California market. The Justice Department filed a lawsuit and settlement agreement in federal district court in Washington. Seattle-based Alaska is the nation’s sixth-biggest airline, and California-based Virgin is eighth. Together, they will become the fifth-biggest. The airlines still face a private lawsuit to block the deal. Alaska and Virgin executives have expressed confidence they can resolve that lawsuit, which is pending in federal district court in San Francisco. A settlement conference is scheduled for Wednesday. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

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IKEA Offers New Parents Up To Four Months Of Leave

Dec 7, 2016 | PYMNTS.com

Swedish company IKEA is known for its innovative furniture, but it’s adding a paid parental leave policy to that innovation. The furniture and housewares chain announced that it is offering up to four months of paid parental leave for its U.S. workers, no matter the parent and situation.
A rare move in the retail space, experts are lauding the move as many companies across industries seem to wrestle with the issue. Other industries have already received pressure and changed their policies. Yahoo and Facebook employees receive 16 weeks, Citi and Merrill Lynch workers get 13 weeks, Bain & Co. and Bank of America allow for 12 weeks and Ernst & Young grants a whopping nearly 10 months (39 weeks).
But in the retail sector, it just hasn’t been given as much consideration. And at chains, these type of benefits typically go to the executives and managers.
IKEA’s new parental leave policy is available to U.S. workers, no matter their gender, no matter how they became parents — birth, adoption, foster — and irregardless of if they’re salaried or hourly employees.
For comparison, Walmart offers 90 days of paid maternity leave and just two weeks for paternity or adoption. But this is only for salaried employees.
In terms of what’s legally mandatory, the Family and Medical Leave Act holds that 12 weeks of maternity leave are allowed, but that’s unpaid and only for full-time workers that have more than 50 employees. And as for how many American workers are allowed to even take a paid option, that’s about 12 percent but plummets to 5 percent when looking at low-wage workers.
The terrible and known irony is that, while a retail employee may be eligible for unpaid FMLA leave, they aren’t able to afford it.
So, as IKEA’s new policy rolls out, specific details are dependent on how many years the employee has served. The policy includes allowing workers that have been with the company for more than a year to take up to three months paid leave and receive their entire base wage for the first six weeks. After that, they’ll receive another six weeks at half rate. Employees with at least three years can take four months total and receive 100 percent of the base wage for the first eight weeks and half the wage for the second eight weeks. If more time is needed, the policy includes additional Short-Term Disability for six to eight weeks — no matter how long the employee has been with IKEA.
While this may be an unprecedented and lauded policy addition, the company’s headquarters are, of course, in Sweden, where the country mandates that all employees receive 480 paid days off, no matter if it was a birth or an adoption.

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Ikea makes drastic changes to paid parental leave policy

Dec 7, 2016 | KSHB

By Josh Helmuth

Ikea will soon be offering longer parental leave to employees who are new parents. The company announced on Tuesday that the policy change will be available to 13,000 salaried and hourly employees in the U.S., including those who work for their store in Merriam, Kansas.
Effective Jan. 1, the new policy will be offered to mothers and fathers who are birth, foster or adoptive parents. Employees of a year or more will be eligible for up to three months of paid leave (full pay for the first six weeks and 50 percent after that), and employees of at least three years will be able to take up to four months off (eight weeks at full pay and eight weeks at half pay).
Ikea’s previous policy only allowed women giving birth five days of paid leave and six to eight weeks of paid disability.
Annie Richmond with IKEA Merriam sent 41 Action News the following statement:
“IKEA strives to give our co-workers an outstanding work experience, and this benefit is the latest in a series of investments that IKEA has made to make IKEA a great place to work! This parental leave benefits both hourly and salary co-workers, mothers and fathers, adoptive and foster parents. IKEA Merriam feels like a family, and we are happy that IKEA believes all co-workers deserve a wage and benefits that allow them to meet the needs of their life.”
Advocates pushing for parental leave rights are praising the company’s decision, including the Women’s Foundation, who is hoping Missouri can become the newest state with legislation mandating employers give their employees paid parental leave.
"This is one of our top policy agenda items for the state of Missouri and just last Friday we hosted Missouri Speaker of the House, Todd Richardson, and he too announced this is an issue area he is extremely interested in, in the state of Missouri,” said Women’s Foundation president and CEO Wendy Doyle.
Doyle said she believes Ikea’s decision to improve their paid parental leave policy could foreshadow what’s to come in the future for working Missourians. She also believes research proves better parental leave benefits help the employer in the long run.
"It encourages the employee who takes advantage of it to come back to work,” she said. “So that means it keeps the costs down low on the retention strategy for the company; it increases the bottom line; it increases employee morale; it just makes good business sense; and plus it keeps the employee, who steps out of the work force, off of any government support because they have such a policy in place."
There is currently no state law in Missouri or Kansas mandating employers give paid parental leave. The only four states which currently have such laws are: California, New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island.
Netflix, Adobe and Microsoft have all made recent changes to their paid parental leave policy. Netflix announced last year it would give parents “unlimited” paid leave for up to a year following the birth or adoption of a child.

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Here’s Another Reason Why The Government Doesn’t Need To Mandate Paid Leave

Dec 7, 2016 | The Hayride

By Kevin Boyd

Both parties just got done running a national election on promising paid leave for all American employees. They want to mandate all companies provide their employees a certain amount of time off. The major disagreements are on how to pay for it and how long to mandate it.
But as is the case with most things involving problems that need to be solved, the marketplace is already finding ways to innovate. There is a growing trend of retail employers offering paid leave with Ikea joining the mix.
From Nola.com:
New parents who work in Ikea’s U.S. corporate office and its stores will be eligible for up to four months of paid or partially paid time off after meeting certain tenure requirements. The policy is unusually expansive for the retail industry, say experts on family leave benefits. For one, unlike companies in the technology or consulting industry that have adopted luxe benefits to help attract more millennial engineers or MBAs to their ranks, retailers require less competitive skills.“In the United States, retail has, for a lot of reasons, tended to see employees as more interchangeable and to provide less flexibility, including for family leave,” said Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute, a nonprofit research center.
In addition, Ikea’s policy covers not only full-time and part-time workers but offers expansive coverage to fathers, adoptive and foster parents. Katie Bethell, executive director of PLUS, a nonprofit advocacy group for paid family leave, says their research shows that while some national retailers offer six to eight weeks of paid leave for new birth mothers, “it’s really a step forward to be extending that kind of leave to dads and adoptive parents,” Bethell said.
After a year of service, Ikea’s benefit will offer new parents in the U.S. six weeks off at full pay and six additional weeks at 50 percent pay. After three years of service, the benefit will grow to eight weeks off at full pay and eight additional weeks at 50 percent pay. Birth mothers can receive additional weeks off through short-term disability programs, with the number depending on the type of birth. (Up until now, beyond federally mandated protections under the Family Medical Leave Act, Ikea had offered birth mothers short-term disability leave and just five days of parental leave for mothers and other parents.)
Plus, unlike with government mandates, private sector solutions give companies a chance to innovate and use benefits in order to attract and retain workers.
Ikea’s benefit adds an unusual wrinkle to many standard parental leave plans, with the benefit growing in length after employees stick around longer. At most employers, parental leave programs are standard once employees initially qualify. “It’s interesting to see companies experimenting with different models,” Bethell said. “That seems to reflect viewing parental leave as a retention strategy that’s on the table.”
More and more companies are offering paid leave already.
Earlier this year, Hilton said it would give two weeks of paid leave to all new parents, and 10 weeks to birth mothers, a decision that was highlighted for including hourly workers like housekeepers and front desk clerks. In early October, Chobani said it would offer six weeks of paid family leave to all of its 2,000 workers, many of them factory workers. Soon afterwards, Levi Strauss & Co. said all hourly and salaried U.S. employees with benefits, regardless of gender, would be offered up to eight weeks of paid parental leave.
As a country’s standard of living increases, people demand increased time off from work in order to care for their families. Private sector companies know that they have to meet the demand or they will have problems hiring and keeping workers.
What we have here is the marketplace providing a solution to a social problem in a quicker fashion than politics. It begs the question why we do we have government involved in so many aspects of our lives?

Read more: http://thehayride.com/2016/12/heres-another-reason-why-the-government-doesnt-need-to-mandate-paid-leave/#ixzz4SBeyt28D

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IKEA Is Now Offering All Its Employees Fully Paid Parental Leave For 4 Months

Dec 7, 2016 | Distractify

By MUSTAFA GATOLLARI

IKEA's known for doing some pretty cool stuff, like raising money for Syrian refugees by building typical replica homes, to turning kids' drawings into stuffed animals.
However, it looks like the retailer is also extending the goodness to their employees as well: by offering new parents 4 months of fully-paid paternity and maternity leave.
And yes, this includes its U.S. division of the company.
U.S. businesses aren't typically world-renowned when it comes to vacation, sick, and maternity paid leaves when compared to other first-world countries.
The new initiative not only applies to salaried employees, but also hourly and part-time mothers and fathers.
IKEA's U.S. head, Lars Petersson thinks that the paid leave will only help get better work from the company's employees.
"Time with family and friends is so important for a healthy work-life balance and a happy and productive workforce.This benefit, which applies to all parents, will give our co-workers the opportunity to spend more time with their families when welcoming a child. Our co-workers are our most important resource, which is why we continue to invest in helping them reach their dream."
The move from such an influential and successful retailer like IKEA has many wondering if it'll help change US policy towards national maternity leave.
America's currently the only industrialized country in the entire world that still doesn't offer paid maternity leave across the board.
It's not uncommon to see businesses and institutions offer up to 12-weeks maternity and paternity leave, but this is left to the discretion of the employer and oftentimes doesn't include full-pay, but rather, a portion of the employee's salary or unpaid leave altogether. Currently, only New Jersey, California, and Rhode Island offered paid maternity leave programs.
Other companies like Netflix, Spotify, and even Bank of America are offering fully paid parental leave.
The internet streaming giant offers "unlimited" parental leave for salaried employees for the first year of the child's life, while Bank of America will give full or part-time employees who've worked there a year 16 weeks of paid leave.
IKEA's initiative will go in effect starting January 1st of 2017.

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Ikea Is Right: Hourly Workers Need Paid Parental Leave, Too

Dec 7, 2016 | The Century Foundation

By Molly Bangs

News of Ikea’s new paid parental leave policy broke at the heels of an election cycle that heard more than ever from candidates and voters about working families’ issues, including paid family and medical leave, paid sick days, and equal pay.
Under the plan, Ikea’s roughly 13,000 workers based in the United States will receive up to four months of paid parental leave. Mothers and fathers who are birth, adoptive, or foster parents are all eligible.
But what sets Ikea apart from other private-sector companies that have joined the race to offer the most comprehensive benefits packages?
Ikea’s plan treats salaried and hourly workers equally in granting all employees paid leave, unlike almost all existent paid family/parental leave plans. A recent study conducted by PL+US: Paid Leave for the United States found that of the top sixty U.S. employers, just twenty-nine confirmed paid family leave policies, and of those twenty-nine, twenty-two demonstrated unequal leave for fathers, adoptive parents, and as a newer finding, low-wage employees. The report noted,
Low-wage employees are being left out. Walmart, the largest employer in the country, confirmed that they provide paid leave only to salaried employees and not to hourly employees. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Walmart is not the only employer with this practice, making more research here a key area of future focus.
Despite a lingering research gap (in part due to a lack of transparency on the part of companies and their leave policies), people started to take heed of this benefit disparity as the equity issue it is in August 2015, when Netflix announced its new parental leave policy, which was lauded as “game-changing.” To be sure, Netflix’s policy was incredibly generous by American standards—it granted salaried workers in its Internet video services division up to a year of parental leave with full pay. It did not, however, cover hourly workers, which prompted widespread criticism. In response, Netflix granted some paid parental leave to its hourly workers—extending eligibility to their hourly-wage staffers in both their DVD-by-mail division (who can now receive up to twelve weeks of full pay following the birth/adoption of a baby) as well as in their customer service center (who can now receive up to fourteen weeks of paid paternity leave). As reported by Michael Liedtke of the Associated Press, working families activists commended the action, but believe the company has a ways to go:
“It is disappointing that Netflix is continuing their two-tiered system that says some parents deserve more time to bond with their children than others,” said Nita Chaudhary, co-founder of UltraViolet, a women’s rights group. “We urge Netflix to put all parents on the same playing field, regardless of income, and expand their unlimited parental leave policy to all workers.”
Hilton Worldwide stands out as one of the only other companies that has a paid family leave program providing equal benefits to both salaried and hourly employees. As of January 2016, Hilton announced it would give all workers who are new parents—including fathers and adoptive parents—two weeks of paid leave. As a part of the policy, mothers giving birth receive an additional eight weeks of paid maternity leave, for a total of ten weeks off. Hilton’s policy is particularly significant within the hospitality industry, in which just 6 percent of workers have access to paid family leave.
However, the two-week timeframe granted to parents who are not birth mothers poses major problems for some more than others. For example, consider adoptive parents adjusting to caring for an infant in this timeframe, not to mention adoption paperwork and legal limitations that can make the process of actually taking a baby home multiple weeks long. Research has also shown us that longer family leave policies positively influence both mothers’ and babies’ health, childhood development, workplace equity, and economic stability; they also stand to combat income inequality, as those least likely to have generous paid leave policies (or any at all) are also those economically disadvantaged who need it the most.
Ikea’s new policy is revolutionary in that it is both affording parental leave equally to all types of employees and that it actually grants more adequate amounts of time off.
In this vein, Ikea’s new policy is revolutionary in that it is both affording parental leave equally to all types of employees and that it actually grants more adequate amounts of time off. Under the policy, set to take effect on January 1, all Ikea employees will receive six to eight weeks of fully paid short-term disability leave. Those who have been employees longer can accrue even more time off: workers who have been with Ikea for one to three years will receive full pay for six weeks of their time off, and then half of their pay for the next six weeks. Employees of three or more years can receive eight full paid weeks and eight half paid weeks. The new policy drastically expands Ikea’s previous mandate of just five days of paid leave for new parents and eight weeks of paid disability leave for new moms.
These policies—as well as others, notably in the technology and professional services industries, that grant paid leave to salaried workers—have surely both contributed to and come about by the uptick in rhetoric surrounding paid family/parental leave, medical leave, paid sick days, and equal pay by voters, legislators, and politicians.Sign up for updates.SIGN UP
A survey conducted by the National Partnership for Women & Families tells us that a record high number of candidates for positions within both the executive and legislative branches discussed paid sick days, paid medical and family leave, discrimination against pregnant workers, and equal pay as a part of their platform in the 2016 election cycle. This included both major-party candidates and 54 percent of Senate candidates. Thirty-four percent of all congressional candidates gave these working-family issues space on their websites.
Polling data commissioned by the National Partnership for Women & Families, conducted by Lake Research Partners and the Tarrance Group, also found that almost two-thirds of voters said they heard “a lot” or “some” about these issues from candidates. And as it turns out, it was important to them: 56 percent of voters said they were more likely to vote for a candidate if they supported paid sick days, paid family and medical leave, and equal pay. Candidates whose websites dedicated content to these issues were 6 percent more likely to win. And 82 percent of surveyed voters said it is critical that the incoming administration and Congress work on new legislation that further these causes; 78 percent also spoke in favor of creating a family and medical leave fund that provides for twelve weeks of paid leave to care for an new child or ill family member.
In discussing the American political climate surrounding these issues, it is, of course, worth the reminder that Ikea’s native Sweden division grants sixty-eight weeks of paid leave to new parents—where the Swedish government subsidizes workers’ time off from work. Until the U.S. federal government decides it would like to lose its title of the only industrialized nation globally without paid parental leave, the private sector—led by inclusive policies such as Ikea’s—will be left to continue to fill the voids caused by a lack of adequate federal paid family/parental leave legislation.

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Ikea Is Giving All US Employees Paid Parental Leave, Should You?

Dec 7, 2016 | Free Enterprise

By George Khoury

In a move that is being applauded, Ikea has announced that all US employees will now be eligible for paid parental leave after one year with the company. Ikea employees at every level, from entry level hourly store employees to those in the US corporate offices, will now receive paid maternity/paternity leave for up to three months, with the first half at full pay and second half at 50 percent of their pay. If an employee has been with the company for over three years, it increases to four months, with full pay for two months and half pay for two months. Ikea employs nearly 14,000 people in the US.
This replaced their prior policy that only provided 5 days off, and then allowed the mother to take an additional 8 weeks of disability. Under federal law, the FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) only requires employers to provide unpaid time off. Certain states also have laws that require employers provide maternity leave.
Benefits Are Costly
Many small businesses cannot afford to keep up with large, generous employers like Ikea or Netflix when it comes to offering time off and benefits. Under state and federal law, the requirements are usually different for smaller employers. However, you should be aware of the minimum legal requirements and of your potential obligations under the law.
Legal Requirements Won't Attract Top Talent
Generally, the best talent is going to go to the highest paying employer. Employers seeking to attract the best and most dedicated employees may find that just meeting the legal requirements for parental leave, or other benefits, is insufficient. Ikea's hope in making the move to increase their new parent leave policy, in addition to attracting top talent, is to increase their employee retention rate. After all, training new employees is costly.
Better Benefits Make Employees Happier
Offering vacation, sick leave, and parental leave, as well as other benefits, such as health and retirement, can really impact an employee's willingness to commit to long-term employment. By offering benefits that provide employees with long-term stability, you provide an employee with an incentive to stay with your company. By contacting an experienced business attorney, you can make sure you avoid costly mistakes.
Related Resources:
Find Business and Commercial Lawyers Near You (FindLaw's Lawyer Directory)
Top 7 Small Biz Family Leave Tips (FindLaw's Free Enterprise)
Do You Have to Offer Paternity Leave? (FindLaw's Free Enterprise)
Does Your Company Have a Clear Paternity Leave Policy? (FindLaw's In House Blog)

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Ikea significantly expanding paid parental leave

Dec 7, 2016 | Junior College

By Adam Carter

The company was founded in Sweden in 1943. Even more importantly, this new initiative doesn't apply exclusively to corporate employees.
Only 12% of USA private sector workers have access to paid family leave through their employer, according to Labor Department data.
When executives at Ikea explained why they made a multimillion dollar investment in this benefit, the President of Ikea US, Lars Petersson explained that this wasn't to emulate practices in Europe, where IKEA is headquartered. Of course, there are some stipulations, but it's still all around a pretty generous plan. Workers can collect full pay for their first six weeks and then half of their pay for the second six weeks. Starting January 1, workers who have been with the company for a year will get six weeks of leave at full pay, followed by six weeks at half pay.
Ikea's new program, which follows expanded leave programs that have taken hold with tech companies like Netflix, is particularly noteworthy in that it applies not only to the chain's salaried employees, but its hourly workers as well. All of that comes on top of whatever short term disability they are eligible for.
That's set to change in January when the flat-pack furniture mecca will begin offering a much broader and longer paid time off policy for all of its USA employees. The home is our arena. "We think that it's really important that people working for us get a chance to experience their home", said Petersson, "especially when you're welcoming a new family member".
The company will also offer a sabbatical program for employees who want time to "refresh and engage in personal and professional growth and development". In early October, Chobani said it would offer six weeks of paid family leave to all of its 2,000 workers, many of them factory workers.
In recent years, Ikea has rolled out other employee-friendly benefits such as a company minimum wage set to local living wage standards, according to a calculator by MIT researchers. According to the Bureau of Labor, only around 13 percent of American workers get paid leave. "Our workers are our most important resource, which is why we continue to invest in helping them reach their dream". The first US store opened in 1985 in Philadelphia, more than 40 years after the first store opened in Sweden. Companies like Etsy and Netflix have recently trotted out improved paid-time off policies for new parents, but benefits for hourly workers pale in comparison to those of salaried workers.

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Newsmakers: Women in Washington, Ikea, university leadership changes

Dec 7, 2016 | bizwomen - Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal

Women, women-led companies, and issues of note in the headlines:
Women Rule, with Politico: Politico hosts its fourth annual Women Rule summit today. Presented in conjunction with Google and the Tory Burch Foundation, the event aims to set the agenda for 2017 for women “in the new Washington." Live stream coverage of the event is available.
Baseball writers honor Claire Smith: Claire Smith, the first female to cover a Major League Baseball beat extensively and an influential voice among African-American writers, was elected the 2017 winner of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, the National Baseball Hall of Fame announced. Smith becomes the first female winner of the award since it was first given in 1962. The award is presented annually to a sportswriter “for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.” She’s worked for the Philadelphia Inquirer, New York Times and Hartford Courant during her career and now works as ESPN news editor of remote productions.
Ikea goes big in expansion of paid parental leave: Chain Store Age reports on Ikea, which as of Jan. 1 will provide "all its 13,000 U.S. salaried and hourly employees who are expanding their families — including mothers, fathers and adoptive and foster parents — with up to four months of paid parental leave." The story notes that the company also is introducing "a sabbatical program" for its employees.
Not your mother's Barbie: Adweek presents what it calls This Week's Must-Haves, noting "Barbie's ultra-smart new Dreamhouse, a sparkling candy-inspired clutch (and) Glossier's party-ready gift set." At $300, the Barbie Hello Dreamhouse has "Wi-Fi connectivity and its very own smartphone app." As for that clutch, it's "completely hand-encrusted with red and silver Austrian crystals and lined with lambskin" — and priced at $4,995.
Turning Snapchat followers into paying customers: Digiday spotlights beauty products subscription venture Birchbox and how it’s put Snapshot to use to drive sales. It’s solution: Vanity URLs. Said Julia Casella, social media manager for Birchbox: “We’ve seen that our followers will actually screenshot our snaps and manually type in the URL we’ve provided.”
Executive moves: Former Kroger Co. executive Lynn Marmer is leaving the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority’s board ( Cincinnati Business Courier). … Kimberly Walker is stepping down as chief investment officer at the Washington University Investment Management Co. at the end of the year ( St. Louis Business Journal). … D’Youville College named Lorrie Clemo the 15th president of the private Catholic college in Buffalo, marking the first time a non-clergy member will lead the school in its 108-year history ( Buffalo Business First). ... Margo Manning was named COO of Dave & Buster's Entertainment Inc., promoted from SVP of human resources and succeeding Dolf Berle, who resigned ( Nation's Restaurant News).

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Tuesday, December 6

Ikea to offer expanded parental leave in stronger job market

Dec 6, 2016 | The Associated Press

By Anne D'Innocenzio

Ikea's U.S. division is offering longer parental leave to employees who are new parents, following similar overtures from tech companies like Netflix as it strives to keep good workers in an improving job market.
The ready-to-assemble furniture chain said Tuesday it will offer its 13,000 salaried and hourly employees in the U.S. up to four months of paid parental leave. Effective Jan. 1, the policy will apply to mothers and fathers who are birth, adoptive or foster parents. Ikea had previously given women giving birth five days of paid leave in addition to six to eight weeks of paid disability leave.
Ikea's move, part of its drive to improve its relations with workers, follows pay increases in the past two years that brought the average minimum hourly wage to $11.87. With unemployment at a nine-year low, many companies are trying to retain workers.
Lars Petersson, president of Ikea's U.S. division, told The Associated Press the parental leave expansion will give employees a better feeling about the workplace and will mean better service to customers.
"We want them to take time off," he said. "The home is our arena. We think the home is the most important place for people."
The plan gives Ikea employees of more than a year up to three months of paid leave, at full base wage for the first six weeks and 50 percent after that. Employees of at least three years can take up to four months, with eight weeks at full pay and eight weeks at half.
Apart from parental leave, Ikea is offering an unpaid sabbatical for all employees, including part-time workers, based on tenure, for up to a year. Previously, it offered a personal leave of 30 days.
Overall, paid maternity and paternity leave in the United States lags behind standards established elsewhere. In the U.S., paid leave after the short-term disability leave can be sparse. Federal law requires only unpaid leave for the birth or adoption of a child. Still, companies like Netflix, Adobe and Microsoft have made changes recently.
Netflix announced last year it was giving parents "unlimited" paid leave for up to a year following the birth or adoption of a child, meaning they can take as much or as little as they would like. Target Corp. also expanded its plan, and salaried and hourly employees who average 20 plus hours a week and have one year of service can now get two weeks of paid leave. It applies to employees who are giving birth, their partners, those who are adopting or becoming parents via surrogacy, and foster parents.
Still, "these companies don't represent what's happening in the U.S. labor market," said Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute, a nonprofit research group.

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IKEA Broadens U.S. Parental Leave Coverage

Dec 6, 2016 | The Wall Street Journal

By Lauren Weber

Swedish retailer IKEA International A/S will offer U.S. employees up to four months of paid parental leave, becoming one of the few chain retailers to bring benefits usually reserved for salaried workers to an hourly workforce.
IKEA has roughly 13,000 U.S. employees, and the benefits apply to all employees regardless of how many hours they work. Under the new program, which goes into effect Jan. 1, employees with at least one year of tenure will receive their full base pay for the first six weeks of leave, and half of their base pay for an additional six weeks. Employees who have been with IKEA for three or more years can receive full pay for eight weeks and half pay for eight weeks.
That is still a far cry from the 68 weeks of pay available to mothers and fathers in IKEA’s home country, where the government subsidizes benefits. But for the U.S., the only industrialized country with no national paid-leave policy, IKEA’s program is remarkably generous. According to a 2016 report from the Society for Human Resource Management, only 26% of U.S. employers offer any paid maternity leave beyond what is covered by state law or short-term disability plans, while 21% offer paid paternity leave. Among those that offer parental, the average is 41 days for mothers and 22 days for fathers.
Until now, IKEA gave five days of paid time off for new parents along with disability-related pay for birth mothers of up to eight weeks. The new benefits are available to mothers and fathers and can cover time off after a birth, adoption, or placement of a foster child. People with less than a year of tenure are also eligible for the disability-related pay.
Among the most generous policies from private companies in the U.S. are Netflix, which offers up to a year of paid leave to salaried employees, and Etsy, where new parents can take up to 26 weeks off at full pay.
IKEA executives said they see the “multimillion-dollar” cost of the program as an investment in a more productive and longer-tenured workforce. “We can’t say when or how, but we’re convinced there will be a big payback” from program, said Lars Petersson, head of IKEA’s U.S. operations.
“We know a workforce that has an opportunity to spend time with family and friends and particularly to welcome a new child will be happier and therefore do a better job,” he said.
The company, in 2015, began pegging minimum hourly pay to local living wages, resulting in a raise for half of its workers. It adjusted pay again in January, resulting in an increase of its average minimum wage of 10.3%, to $11.87. (The company hasn’t yet determined whether it will raise pay in 2017.) For all hourly employees, its average wage is $15.45 an hour. Over the past few years, it also has been trying to give store workers more consistent and fuller schedules. Three-quarters of those employees now work more than 20 hours a week, up from 66% in 2013.

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Ikea Is Giving Its Employees Up To Four Months Of Paid Parental Leave

Dec 6, 2016 | Huffington Post

By Dave Jamieson

The furniture giant Ikea is rolling out a paid parental leave plan that’s likely to be the envy of workers in the American retail space. According to Lars Petersson, the president of Ikea U.S., the guiding principle behind it is pretty simple.
“The home is our arena,” Petersson told The Huffington Post. “We think that it’s really important that people working for us get a chance to experience their home, especially when you’re welcoming a new family member.”
As of Jan. 1, 2017, all Ikea workers in the U.S. ― from corporate managers to store-level employees ― will be eligible to take three months of paid parental leave if they’ve worked a full year with the company. They’ll collect their full pay for the first six weeks, and 50 percent of their pay for the second six weeks.
If they’ve got three years at Ikea under their belt, the plan is even more generous. It offers four months of paid leave, with the first eight weeks coming with full pay, and the second eight at half pay. That comes on top of any short-term disability leave they may be eligible for.
The bottom line: With short-term disability factored in, Ikea employees will be able to spend up to six months away from work with their newborns, all without worrying about their paychecks for most of it. Until now, workers were given one week of paid leave on top of their short-term disability.
The company has 14,000 U.S. workers employed in all sorts of capacities ― driving trucks and working in its factory, behind cash registers, in call centers and corporate offices.
Unlike other developed nations, the U.S. does not have a law guaranteeing at least some paid family leave for workers. The Family and Medical Leave Act, which was passed in 1993, only guarantees 12 weeks of unpaid time off. Without a federal mandate, offering paid leave is optional for U.S. employers.
And while it’s become more fashionable to offer paid leave, particularly in the tech sector, U.S. companies on the whole aren’t that generous with the benefit. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only around 13 percent of U.S. workers in 2014 had access to paid time off when they had children, though that number has been trending upwards in recent years. Those who do have paid leave tend to be white-collar professionals, as opposed to blue-collar or hourly employees.
That puts the U.S. far behind countries like Sweden, where Ikea was founded. There, paid vacation and family leave are part of both the culture and the law. Petersson said he takes a full four weeks off in the summer ― “I take Swedish vacation; I work in America” ― and he doesn’t know many other U.S. executives who would do the same. He said Ikea wanted to make its paid leave program generous enough so that employees would actually use it.
“This is not so much to replicate anything we do in Europe,” Petersson said. “It’s just to take the values and culture ... and transform that into the U.S. reality.
Just as the program doesn’t discriminate between blue- and white-collar employees, it doesn’t discriminate between men or women, or gay or straight employees. The leave offer is gender-neutral, so paternity leave matches maternity leave, and employees who adopt or foster are guaranteed the same benefits as new biological parents. (Unlike the FMLA, the Ikea program will only cover time off to care for a new child, not to tend to a sick family member.)
Nabeela Ixtabalan, the company’s head of human resources in the U.S., said Ikea looked at research on paid leave programs in order to shape its own. For instance, the decision to offer the first half of the leave at full pay was influenced by a finding from a Boston College study on paternity leave. The vast majority of respondents in a survey said that they wouldn’t use the leave unless at least 70 percent of their salaries were paid.
“We looked at a lot of external research,” Ixtabalan said. “We asked what would people need to take it.”
The company is also introducing a sabbatical program to go with the paid leave. Employees who have seven years with the company can take off three months of unpaid time for any reason they wish, with their position guaranteed when they return. For those who have 11 years at the company, the sabbatical can be as long as six months, and for those with 15 years in, it can be a full year.
Ikea has been burnishing its reputation as a decent employer the last couple of years. In 2014, the company raised its company-wide minimum wage, but it did so in a novel way. Rather than set a national minimum, it set its wage floors store by store, tying each one to the local living wage as determined by the MIT living wage calculator. It has raised those minimums twice since then.
Petersson said the living wage initiative has worked out well so far, with the company able to withstand the higher labor costs, and employee turnover dropping. He said he frankly doesn’t know what to expect from the new paid leave program. When he was working for Ikea in Japan, he said workers took greater advantage of their leave benefits than expected when the company introduced them there.
“We don’t really know how many people [in the U.S.] will take this,” Petersson said. “We are very curious what will happen.”

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Ikea pushes retail into the race to expand paid leave

Dec 6, 2016 | The Washington Post

By Jena McGregor

Sweden is well known for its generosity when it comes to paid family leave, granting new moms and dads a jaw-dropping 480 days of parental leave. But until now, U.S. workers at one of the country's best-known brands, Ikea, got relatively little time off when a new child was added to the family.
That's set to change in January when the flat-pack furniture mecca will begin offering a much broader and longer paid time off policy for all of its U.S. employees. The change, announced Tuesday, is the latest sign that companies outside the benefits-flush technology and finance sectors are seeing paid family leave -- which got attention from both parties during this year's election -- as a way to take care of existing workers or attract and retain new ones.
New parents who work in Ikea's U.S. corporate office and its stores will be eligible for up to four months of paid or partially paid time off after meeting certain tenure requirements. The policy is unusually expansive for the retail industry, say experts on family leave benefits. For one, unlike companies in the technology or consulting industry that have adopted luxe benefits to help attract more millennial engineers or MBAs to their ranks, retailers require less competitive skills.
"In the United States, retail has, for a lot of reasons, tended to see employees as more interchangeable and to provide less flexibility, including for family leave," said Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute, a nonprofit research center.
In addition, Ikea's policy covers not only full-time and part-time workers but offers expansive coverage to fathers, adoptive and foster parents. Katie Bethell, executive director of PLUS, a nonprofit advocacy group for paid family leave, says their research shows that while some national retailers offer six to eight weeks of paid leave for new birth mothers, "it’s really a step forward to be extending that kind of leave to dads and adoptive parents," Bethell said.
After a year of service, Ikea's benefit will offer new parents in the U.S. six weeks off at full pay and six additional weeks at 50 percent pay. After three years of service, the benefit will grow to eight weeks off at full pay and eight additional weeks at 50 percent pay. Birth mothers can receive additional weeks off through short-term disability programs, with the number depending on the type of birth. (Up until now, beyond federally mandated protections under the Family Medical Leave Act, Ikea had offered birth mothers short-term disability leave and just five days of parental leave for mothers and other parents.)
Ikea's benefit adds an unusual wrinkle to many standard parental leave plans, with the benefit growing in length after employees stick around longer. At most employers, parental leave programs are standard once employees initially qualify. "It's interesting to see companies experimenting with different models," Bethell said. "That seems to reflect viewing parental leave as a retention strategy that’s on the table."
That sort of design is particularly relevant in an industry where turnover is high. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts annualized turnover among retail employers at 54 percent. Ikea U.S. human resources manager Nabeela Ixtabalan said its own turnover rate is lower, at 29 percent, and that average tenure for its workers is 5.4 years.
In an interview, Ixtabalan said that the company "absolutely" sees the new policy as a way to help retain workers and could help save with hiring, recruiting and training costs. But, she says, "the starting point is different. Other industries are offering these enhanced benefits to be more competitive. We have taken it from 'what do we need to have a healthy and safe workforce?' "
The move comes as many large companies, particularly in the technology and finance fields, have expanded their programs in recent years to attract and retain younger workers -- particularly those with harder skills to find, such as engineering or computer science. Ikea, meanwhile, joins a slow but growing number of companies who employ workers outside of such high-demand fields but are expanding family friendly benefits for workers.
Earlier this year, Hilton said it would give two weeks of paid leave to all new parents, and 10 weeks to birth mothers, a decision that was highlighted for including hourly workers like housekeepers and front desk clerks. In early October, Chobani said it would offer six weeks of paid family leave to all of its 2,000 workers, many of them factory workers. Soon afterwards, Levi Strauss & Co. said all hourly and salaried U.S. employees with benefits, regardless of gender, would be offered up to eight weeks of paid parental leave.
During the election talk heated up about paid family leave. President-elect Donald Trump has proposed ensuring birth mothers receive six weeks of paid maternity leave. Ixtabalan said "a lot of businesses would agree we have to be ahead of those legislative approaches," but noted "that's not driving our decision-making. What's driving it is expectations of employees on their employers."
In recent years, Ikea has rolled out other employee-friendly benefits such as a company minimum wage set to local living wage standards, according to a calculator by MIT researchers. It also announced Tuesday it would institute an unpaid sabbatical for long-term employees.
Family leave advocates warned that while expansive benefits are a positive move, research has also shown that hourly paid workers can't easily get by on 50 percent wages, and often won't take advantage of that part of a benefit. "It may have unintended consequences for low-wage or hourly employees," Bethell says.
For many, 50 percent pay may not be "sufficient for them to be able to use the leave." Ixtabalan says Ikea considered that issue when designing the perk and lets workers supplement the partial pay period with accrued sick or vacation days.

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Ikea Is Giving All U.S. Employees Paid Parental Leave No Matter How Many Hours They Work

Dec 6, 2016 | Fortune

By Claire Zillman

The new policy is remarkable in that it treats salaried and hourly workers the same.
The U.S. division of Ikea, the quirky Swedish furniture retailer, is expanding its paid leave benefits for new parents in an effort to attract and retain talent in a tight labor market.
Starting Jan. 1, Ikea’s 14,000 salaried and hourly workers in the U.S. will receive up to four months of paid parental leave. The policy applies to mothers and fathers who are birth, adoptive, or foster parents, and it expands on Ikea’s previous policy that gave fives days of paid leave to new parents, plus up to eight weeks of paid disability leave for new moms, according to the Associated Press.
In a fact sheet on the policy, Ikea said the change reflects its “Swedish roots and [its] vision to create a better everyday life for all people.”
Under the new program, employees who’ve worked at Ikea for at least one year will receive full base pay for the first six weeks of their leave and half of their base pay for six more weeks. Workers who’ve been with Ikea for three years or more can receive eight weeks of full pay and eight weeks of half pay. Workers receive six to eight weeks of short term disability regardless of their tenure.
Lars Petersson,head of Ikea’s U.S. operations, told the Wall Street Journal that the company expects the program to improve productivity and reduce turnover.
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The policy is remarkably generous by American standards, since the U.S. is the only industrialized nation to guarantee no paid time off for new moms, let alone dads. But it still falls shorts of the 68 weeks of paid leave new parents at Ikea receive in the company’s home country of Sweden, where the government subsidizes workers’ time off.
In introducing the expanded benefits, Ikea follows other U.S. companies like Netflix, Adobe, and Etsy that have rolled out generous packages for new parents in a effort to recruit and keep top talent. But in bestowing the same benefits to salaried and hourly workers, Ikea addresses one of the biggest criticisms of some lavish benefits programs—that they only apply to the top tier of employees, creating a gaping economic divide in the workplace.
For instance, when Netflix launched a policy that gave salaried workers in its Internet video service division up to a year of parental leave with full pay, the program did not apply to hourly workers in the company’s DVD distribution unit. After facing scrutiny for the move, Netflix gave hourly employees some paid parental leave, but the benefits still fell short of those enjoyed by salaried employees.
Only 13% of workers in the U.S. have paid family leave, according to 2014 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and access to the benefit falls starkly along income lines. For instance, 21% of the highest quartile of wage-earners have the perk, versus 5% of workers in the lowest quartile.
Paid family leave was a hot-button issue of this year’s U.S. presidential election and garnered public support from a Republican candidate for the first time. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton had proposed 12 weeks of paid family leave, while Donald Trump advocated for a 6-week maternity leave policy.
The president-elect’s proposal, while groundbreaking for a Republican, has some holes. Namely, it doesn’t apply to fathers, which might incentivize employees to hire men over women. Plus, the full-rate equivalent of his proposed policy (the total weeks of paid maternity multiplied by the average pay rate during that period) is 2.4 weeks, meaning that even if it becomes law, paid family leave provided by private employers like Ikea will still be vital to new parents.
This story has been updated to reflect information in Ikea’s fact sheet on the new policy.

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Ikea’s Leave Policy Actually Includes Most of Its Workers

Dec 6, 2016 | The Atlantic

By Bourree Lam

On Tuesday, Ikea—the Swedish furniture company that has become eponymous with trendy, affordable furniture and relationship tension—announced a new parental-leave policy. The plan is notable not only because of its generosity—both in terms of time off and pay—compared to many American employers, but also because Ikea will become one of very few employers to make such leave policies available to both part-time and full-time employees.
The new policy, which begins January 1, is based on the length of tenure. Employees who have been with Ikea for more than a year will be able to take parental leave for 12 weeks, the first six weeks at their full wage and the second six weeks at 50 percent of their normal pay. The policy is more generous toward those who have been with the company for more than three years, providing eight weeks of full wages and another eight weeks at 50 percent. Both policies are in addition to short-term disability benefits.
Currently, the most generous parental-leave policies in the U.S. have mostly come from the tech sector. Earlier this year, Etsy announced a new 26-weeks paid leave policy, joining a handful of U.S. companies—including Netflix, Google, Facebook, and Twitter—that offer paid time off well beyond what’s required, which is nothing. (The U.S. is the only OECD country that doesn’t mandate paid maternity leave.)
The fact that tech firms have been leading the way when it comes to leave has been chalked up to the ability to use such policies as a tool in the talent war, a means by which they can attract and retain highly skilled workers. But at the same time, the fact that these policies have mostly been implemented at technology companies—as well as the individual requirements of those policies—has made them an exclusive luxury perk of white-collar jobs.
Ikea says that they hope their plan will change that. “It really is accessible to all, and that's one of the unique differences of what we're offering here. Our starting point is health, fairness, and well-being and not doing it just to be competitive because we think there's a tight labor market,” explains Nabeela Ixtabalan, Ikea’s human resources manager for the U.S. “When we looked at the parental leave, it was really about making sure we could improve our co-workers’ daily lives. There's nothing more stressful or challenging than welcoming a new child into your home.”
In recent years, a handful companies, including Coca Cola, Netflix, and hotel chain Hilton Worldwide, have taken the step of offering some kind of paid leave to its hourly workers. But those policies either fall short of the benefits offered to full-time workers, or don’t cover employees who are subject to collective bargaining agreements. Ikea said that its policy will provide leave coverage to approximately 12,000 of its nearly 15,000 workers in the U.S., and doesn’t require minimum hours for eligibility. For example, even an Ikea employee who works only 10 hours a week would still be eligible for 16 weeks of paid leave as long as he or she has been with the company for more than three years.
Ixtabalan says that the policy has been in the works for a while, and that the aim is to improve the employer's relationship with staff, retain talent (although she notes that Ikea has an average tenure of more than five years and a low turnover rate for the retail industry), and improving the wellbeing of its employees.
This new policy shows that the trend toward paid time off is finally starting to reach hourly workers, says Jennifer Sabatini Fraone, the associate director of Boston College’s Center for Work & Family. And she thinks that’s a very important development."What's most remarkable about this policy is that it's covering part-time retail workers, people who normally might not have access to any of their wages while they're taking time away for their family,” says Fraone. "For companies with hourly and lower-wage workers, it's less common [than the tech, financial, and professional services industries], but more necessary because these workers tend to earn lower wages and therefore it's much more difficult for them to finance unpaid time away from the workforce.”
Fraone also says that Ikea’s new benefit is in line with other two trends she’s seen in the paid parental-leave space: Policies that are gender neutral, and that provide paid leave for the the duration of time that workers might have used the Family and Medical Leave Act—a federal law that requires employers to give workers 12 weeks for unpaid leave to take care of a sick family member or new baby. "Twelve weeks is becoming somewhat of a new standard," says Fraone.
While generous policies from private companies are not exactly a substitute for a government-leave policy that would help all working parents, it’s certainly a start. Currently, only four states—California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and New York—offer guaranteed paid family leave. On Tuesday, lawmakers in Washington, D.C. are set to vote on a paid-leave policy which would offer 11 weeks of leave. The program would be funded by payroll taxes, a contentious aspect of the bill as the benefit would extend to those who work in D.C., but live in a neighboring state.
When it comes to the logistics of Ikea’s policy, Ixtabalan says that the company plans to use interim assignments to fill in for staff who are on leave. They also want to strongly encourage staff in leadership positions—half of whom are women—to take advantage of the new policy, so their staff will feel comfortable using it too.
“The more senior leaders take that time off, the more people that are taking paternity leave, that's what trickles into social norm of the organization and that's what we're encouraging our leaders to do,” says Ixtabalan. “Spend time at home, show our coworkers that you can be a great leader and have that balance.”

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Morning Shift - D.C. votes on paid leave

Dec 6, 2016 | POLITICO

By By TED HESSON with help from Marianne LeVine, Cogan Schneier and Ben Weyl

DC VOTES ON PAID LEAVE: The D.C. City Council is expected to take an initial vote today on one of the most generous paid family leave laws in the nation. The Universal Paid Leave Act would providenew parents with 11 weeks’ paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child and eight weeks’ paid leave to care for a family member. Under the program, workers would receive from the DC government 90 percent of their pay up to $1,000 per week, funded by a 0.62 percent increase in payroll taxes. The legislation was first introduced last year, but D.C. City Council Chairman Phil Mendelson recently scaled it back from 16 weeks to 11.
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The original authors of the legislation — Councilmembers Elissa Silverman and David Grosso — said on a Monday call to reporters that they hoped the bill would pass without significant additional changes. Silverman decried last-minute “shenanigans” to undermine the measure and (in a separate press release) knocked down an amendment drafted by Councilmember LaRuby May that “would get rid of the family leave insurance system” and replace it with additional sick days and a tax credit (May didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment). Grosso said the legislation could be difficult to pass without the support of Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has expressed apprehensions about a tax hike. A spokesperson for Bowser told the Washington Times last week that she “remains concerned” that the proposal doesn’t do enough for D.C. families. “Hopefully the mayor will come around,” Grosso said.
GOOD MORNING. It's Tuesday, Dec. 6 and this is Morning Shift, POLITICO's daily tipsheet on labor and employment policy. Send tips, exclusives, and suggestions to mlevine@politico.com, cschneier@politico.com,thesson@politico.com, and tnoah@politico.com. Follow us on Twitter at @marianne_levine, @CoganSchneier, @tedhesson and @TimothyNoah1.
BYE-BYE LABOR UNIONS? Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) questioned the need for labor unions in an interview with Reuters Monday. Foxx, set to become chair of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce, said organized labor “sort of lost its reason for being” because an abundance of laws now protect workers. Reuters reporter Robert Iafolla notes that unions were already wary of the incoming Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress, and that Foxx’s comment won’t likely comfort them. “AFL-CIO spokesman Eric Hauser pushed back against Foxx's comments,” Iafolla reports, “saying that a thriving labor movement and strong union presence has never been more important in light of the economic tumult in the United States.” Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), who was yesterday re-elected House Ed and Workforce ranking member, also disagreed with Foxx’s comments. “We know that a thriving labor movement produces good wages and benefits, safer working conditions, and retirement security for both union members and non-members,” he told Morning Shift. More here.
TODAY: NYC INTRODUCES FAST FOOD BILLS: The New York City Council will introduce a package of bills today to improve working conditions for fast food workers. The first bill would allow fast food workers to set up an alt-labor nonprofit, registered with the Department of Consumer Affairs, that would educate workers about their rights on the job and advocate pro-worker policies. Fast food employers would be required to subtract voluntary contributions from workers’ paychecks and send the proceeds to the nonprofit. The second bill follows a lead from San Francisco, Seattle, and Emeryville, Calif., in requiring employers to give fast food workers their schedules at least two weeks in advance and to pay workers a penalty for any last-minute changes. In addition, the bill penalizes employers for “clopenings,” wherein an employee is assigned back-to-back closing and opening shifts.
MOVE TO RESCUE MINER PENSIONS: A group of Democratic senators vowed Monday to “use any means necessary” to make sure the health insurance and pension coverage of 120,000 retired coal miners are preserved. Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Sherrod Brown(Ohio), Bob Casey (Pa.), and Mark Warner (Va.) said they’d block any attempts to pass legislation by unanimous consent until Congress resolves a shortfall in retiree benefits funding for the United Mine Workers. “By blocking other bills from sailing through with special privileges, the senators hope to force House and Senate leadership to include the bipartisan mineworkers fix in the year-end spending package or allow an independent vote on the bill,” the group said in a statement.
DOL TRANSITION UPDATE: Over the weekend Richard Manning was cleared to join President-elect Donald Trump’s Labor Department landing team, according to a source familiar with the matter. Manning is the third DOL landing team member to be cleared, after Loren Smith and Nathan Mehrens. (The Trump transition team has said talk show host Jane Norris will be on the DOL landing team, but she hasn’t been seen at the agency.) Manning is president of the conservative advocacy group Americans for Limited Government and served as chief of staff at the Labor Department’s Office of Public Affairs between July 2006 and January 2009, according to his LinkedIn profile.
IKEA’S NEW PAID LEAVE PROGRAM: The U.S. branch of IKEA will offer up to 16 weeks’ paid family leave starting next year, the company announced today, with the length of leave dependent on how long the employee has been with the company. At present, the furniture store allows mothers and fathers to take five days’ paid parental leave. Under the new policy, employees who’ve been with the company for at least one year will be eligible for 12 weeks’ paid parental leave. For the first six weeks, workers will receive their full base pay; for the second six weeks, half. Employees with the company at least three years will be eligible for the full 16 weeks, receiving full base pay for the first eight weeks, and half for the second.
LITTLER REPORT ON OBAMA’S NLRB: A new report today from the management-side law firm Littler Mendelson faults President Barack Obama’s National Labor Relations Board for overturning precedent “in a largely partisan manner” and tossing aside decades of bipartisan law established by the board. “In no case where the board overturned, or substantially modified, important principles did a Republican board member join with the Democratic majority,” the report states. Littler singles out the NLRB’s Browning-Ferris decision as an example in which the board “overturned 30 years of precedent.” The decision established a new test to determine whether two independent business entities should be considered joint employers. Read the report here.
COLLEGE ATHLETES LOSE APPEAL FOR EMPLOYEE STATUS: The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals denied on Monday the appeal of two former college athletes who argued they were employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The athletes participated in track and field at the University of Pennsylvania and joined a 2014 lawsuit filed in a U.S. District Court in Indianapolis, where the NCAA has its headquarters. After a district court dismissed the complaint in February, the athletes filed an appeal, but the Seventh Circuit affirmed the earlier decision. In his opinion, Judge Michael Stephen Kanne wrote that the student athletes “have not, and quite frankly cannot, allege that the activities they pursued as student athletes qualify as ‘work’ sufficient to trigger the minimum wage requirements of the FLSA.” The reason, Kanne wrote, is that college athletics are voluntary and student athletes participate in college sports for reasons unrelated to “immediate compensation.” “Simply put, student-athletic ‘play’ is not ‘work,’ at least as the term is used in the FLSA,” the opinion said.
The National Labor Relations Board last year declined to rule on whether college athletes were employees, in that instance under the National Labor Relations Act. The board cited that action in a footnote to its August decision this year in Columbia University (which said graduate student teachers could be both employees and students). The board said it "denied the protections of the [National Labor Relations Act] to certain college athletes — without ruling on their employee status — because, due to their situation within and governance by an athletic consortium dominated by public universities, we found that our extending coverage to them would not advance the purposes of the [NLRA]." Read the full Seventh Circuit opinion here.
MCCAUL WAITS ON DHS: Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) met with President-elect Donald Trump a week ago about the top Homeland Security position, but the congressman’s staff is in the dark about his status. “We are just letting the process play out at the moment,” McCaul spokesperson Lizzie Litzow told Morning Shift. “It’s kind of a waiting game.” Several immigration hawks have bristled at the idea that McCaul — who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee — could get the top post. He was one of a small group of House Republicans openly to back a set of immigration reform principles rolled out in 2014 by then-Speaker John Boehner. NumbersUSA, a group that seeks to limit immigration levels, calledthose principles a “version of amnesty.”
CULBERSON’S SANCTUARY PLAN: President-elect Donald Trump could withhold hundreds of millions of dollars from sanctuary cities and states on the first day of his presidency, according to Rep. John Culberson, with no further action needed from Congress. "We've already taken care of it," he said. "It's done." The Texas Republican said in an interview with POLITICO Pro’s Ben Weyl this past Friday that more than $342 million in Justice Department grants could immediately be blocked for at least 10 jurisdictions that don't cooperate with federal enforcement efforts related to undocumented immigrants, including the state of California as well as New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia. Culberson is chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee that oversees DOJ. "President Trump and Attorney General [Jeff] Sessions can throw the light switch I've created and turn off all federal law enforcement money to those 10 jurisdictions at noon on Jan. 20," he said.
What’s Culberson talking about? A new guidance he successfully pressured the Justice Department into issuing in July that clarified state and local governments' responsibilities when receiving federal law enforcement grant money. A DOJ Inspector General report lists the 10 jurisdictions that would be in the crosshairs. Culberson said that DOJ policy now stipulates that cities and states that don't change their sanctuary policies risk losing funding from the current grant cycle and might also have to refund the feds for grants they received from earlier grant cycles. Culberson has talked with the Trump team and is confident the new administration will follow through. "They're very supportive,” he said. “They're very excited about it."
STATE AGS FILE BRIEF OPPOSING EXPEDITED OT CASE:The state attorneys general who sued the Labor Department over its overtime rule filed a motion Monday to oppose a request from the Obama Justice Department for an appeals court to expedite the case. The request came after a lower court issued a preliminary injunction against the regulation. In their motion, the attorneys general argue that the lower court could issue a decision on summary judgment “any day” and that if the Court rules for them “that will moot the preliminary injunction at issue in this appeal and this Court will have rearranged its calendar and oral argument schedule for naught.” Read the motion here.
COFFEE BREAK
—“California legislation challenges Trump's proposals for a border wall and registration of Muslim immigrants,” from the Los Angeles Times
—“The outrageous legal decision that took overtime pay from millions of workers,” from Vox
—“Amazon moves to cut checkout line, promoting grab-and-go experience,” from The New York Times
—“Trump has broad power to implement immigration policies: legal experts,” from Reuters
—Editorial: “How to Help Working People,” from The New York Times
—“House OKs $170M in military construction, but no special hiring of foreign workers on H-2B,” from Pacific Daily News
—“Ivy League institutions respond to campus sanctuary movement,” from the Daily Princetonian
—“How David Clarke Bridges Donald Trump’s Gun Nuts and Vladimir Putin’s Kleptocrats,” from The Daily Beast
—“New MLB labor deal cuts player meal money by $75 per day, report says,” from Sporting News
—“U.S. service-sector activity surged in November,” from The Wall Street Journal

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Ikea significantly expanding paid parental leave

Dec 6, 2016 | CNN Money

By Aaron Smith

Ikea is significantly expanding paid parental leave to up to four months for U.S. employees.
Starting January 1, workers who have been with the company for a year will get six weeks of leave at full pay, followed by six weeks at half pay. Workers who have been there three years will be eligible for eight weeks at full pay, followed by eight weeks at half pay.
Under the current system, Ikea parents are eligible for five days of paid leave, and six to eight weeks of short-term disability. The length of disability leave depends on the type of birth: six weeks for vaginal and eight weeks for cesarean section.
Workers will still be eligible for short-term disability under the new system. New parents will also be eligible for 12 weeks of unpaid time off.
The Swedish company, the largest furniture retailer in the world, said parental leave benefits apply to birth mothers and fathers, as well as adoptive and foster parents. They apply to both to salaried and hourly workers.

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Ikea expands parental leave to all U.S. workers

Dec 6, 2016 | USA Today

By Adam Shell

In a workplace trend that's gaining traction, the U.S. division of Swedish furniture maker Ikea says it will expand paid benefits up to four months for all its workers welcoming a new baby into their lives.
Ikea said its move is aimed at improving work-life balance among its roughly 14,000 employees while attracting and retaining top talent.
The expanded family-leave benefits at Ikea, which go into effect Jan. 1, includes not only salaried employees, but hourly workers as well. And it's not just new moms eligible for longer periods of paid time off to take care of newborns. Dads who work at Ikea are also eligible for longer paid leaves, as are adoptive and foster parents.
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"We see it as an investment in our co-workers,which we view as our most important resource " says Lars Petersson, president of Ikea's U.S. operations. The company expects to "get great payback over the years, from the sheer fact of having our people getting even closer to us in terms of loyalty and them staying longer. This is the right thing to do for our people."ADVERTISINGinRead invented by Teads
Ikea is the latest company to bolster parental leave benefits. Last year, video streamer Netflix made headlines when it announced it was offering unlimited family leave pay to all of its salaried employees. Since then, companies such as software maker Adobe Systems, hotel chain Hilton Hotels and yogurt maker Chobani have all increased the number of paid days for new moms and dads.
Only 12% of U.S. private sector workers have access to paid family leave through their employer, according to Labor Department data.
"We continue to see an uptick in employers moving voluntarily ... to parental leave pay packages," says Lisa Horn, director of congressional affairs at the Society for Human Resource Management. "It is an incredibly powerful recruitment and retentional tool, " adding that there's no federal paid parental leave requirement.
The expanded benefits at Ikea will includeemployees at its 42 U.S.-based stores, says Ikea spokesperson Mona Astra Liss.
Co-workers that have worked at Ikea for three-plus years will be eligible to take up to four months of paid leave, receiving all of their base wage for the first eight weeks and 50% for an additional eight weeks. Ikea employees that have been with the company more than can take up to three months of paid leave, receiving all of their base wage for the first six weeks of parental leave and 50% for an additional six weeks. (This is in addition to the six to eight weeks of Short Term Disability available to all co-workers.)
While four months of paid leave may sound like a lot to many workers, it pales in comparison to the 480 days Swedish parents are entitled to in their home country. But it's far better than Ikea's current system in the U.S., in which parents are eligible for five days of paid leave, and six to eight weeks of short-term disability.

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Ikea is pulling a Netflix with expanded parental leave policy

Dec 6, 2016 | Mashable

By Sasha Lekach

It might not be as generous as Netflix's unlimited parental leave policy announced in 2015, but Ikea is trying to keep up with a new expanded benefits policy.
The Swedish furniture company's American division announced on Tuesday four months of paid parental leave for its salaried and hourly employees in the U.S.
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Starting Jan. 1, employees who have been with the company for at least a year can take advantage of the policy.
Those employees can take up to three months leave, at full base wage for the first six weeks and 50 percent after that, while workers with three or more years at the company can take up to four months' leave, with eight weeks at full pay and eight weeks at half."We want them to take time off."
The company said in a news release that the expanded policy is a way to "ensure co-workers have the opportunity to bond with their children and connect as a new family."
"We want them to take time off," Lars Petersson, president of Ikea's U.S. division, told the Associated Press.
"The home is our arena. We think the home is the most important place for people."
The decision to add more time for new parents came after research into what workers wanted from their workplace. A work-life balance and time with family came in at the top of the list, according to the company.
Foster and adoptive parents can use the policy as well and it includes both moms and dads.
Better get started on that nursery.

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The Morning Risk Report: War More Prevalent in 2017 Risk Radar

Dec 6, 2016 | The Wall Street Journal

By By Mara Lemos Stein

Financial regulations implemented around the world since the 2008 financial crisis have buffered the global economy from another widespread markets meltdown in the near term, but risk managers should be mindful of an increased chance of international conflict, according to the latest analysis by the Cambridge Center for Global Risk of the University of Cambridge Judge Business School.
“The reduction in the likely severity of future financial crises, as a result of improved banking liquidity, means that interstate conflict risk is now almost as severe a threat to the global economy as a market crash from another financial crisis,” a study updating the Center’s risk index published Monday said. At the same time, the risk of major economic shocks from cyberattacks is 20% above the baseline as the near-term chance of disruption to business is high and it will take some time until international cooperation and law enforcement can more effectively tackle hackers. The index, last produced in 2014 as Lloyd’s City Risk Index, considers risks to 300 of the world’s leading cities that account for half of the global gross domestic product, and models approximately 12,000 scenarios from 22 threats grouped in five broad categories: finance, economics and trade risks; geopolitics and security; natural catastrophe and climate; technology and space; and health and humanity. The risk index baseline is a 10-year projection and is trending upwards, and the Cambridge Center’s Global Risk Index projects an expected loss of $1.17 trillion of annual GDP for the 300 cities between 2017 and 2019. Geographically, the risks are greatest in emerging economies of the Pacific Rim, Middle East, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Some of the cities that appear with most at risk from shocks in 2017 are Osaka, Moscow, Khartoum, Baghdad, Karachi and Tel Aviv.
Indeed, the study found that emerging economies will bear the brunt of more risk-related economic loss in coming years because of their higher rate of growth and their relatively unstable risk environment. Another trend the analysis identified is that there is a “growing prominence” of man-made risks as opposed to natural disasters, and a “heavy contribution” from new risks such as cyber attacks and infrastructure vulnerabilities. Dealing with the new wave of risks will require international cooperation, said the study, as they “transcend the ability of any individual country to deal with the risk or contain it on their own.”
Readers can subscribe to The Morning Risk Report here: http://on.wsj.com/MorningRiskReportSignup. Follow us on Twitter at @WSJRisk.
EXCLUSIVE ON RISK AND COMPLIANCE JOURNAL
Taiwan, South Korea work on anti-money-laundering rules.Taiwan and South Korea are beefing up their anti-money-laundering legal regimes ahead of expected evaluations by an international standards-setting body, experts say.
Crisis of the Week: Ferrero faces child-labor allegations.Chocolate maker Ferrero Group takes the crisis center stage after a report in a U.K. newspaper detailed the alleged use of children as young as age six as workers for its Kinder Egg toys.
Finra fines Credit Suisse unit. Wall Street’s self-regulator fined a New York-based unit of Credit Suisse $16.5 million for failures in its anti-money-laundering compliance program and other violations.
SEC awards $3.5 million to whistleblower. The Securities and Exchange Commission said Monday it issued an award of about $3.5 million to a whistleblower. The SEC, citing federal law, declined to identify the tipster. It said the person came forward with information that led to an SEC enforcement action.
COMPLIANCE
Samsung heir rejects claims of kickbacks. Samsung heir apparent Lee Jae-yong rejected lawmakers’ claims that the company paid kickbacks to the government in exchange for political favors, WSJ reports, as he faced questioning over the conglomerate’s connections with South Korean officials. During a lengthy questioning session before a parliamentary committee, Mr. Lee told lawmakers he wasn’t initially made aware of donations by Samsung affiliates to two foundations allegedly controlled by a confidante of President Park Geun-hye. He vowed that the company would avoid future political scandals while being grilled on live TV, FT reports. The president dug in amid the scandal, Reuters reports.JEON HEON-KYUN/GETTY IMAGES
Republicans resist “retribution” taxes proposal. Donald Trump’s threats to use taxes as “retribution” against U.S. companies that move jobs overseas are legally dubious, tax specialists say — and they’re prompting resistance from some Republican leaders who fear a coming era of economic protectionism or international trade wars, Bloomberg reports.
U.K. tightens rule for spread-betting products. The U.K.’s financial watchdog proposed tougher rules for retail financial spread betting products known as ‘contracts for difference’ (CFD) after finding that 82% of customers using them lost money, Reuters reports. Plus500 said the new rule would have a material affect on its business, FT reports.
Banca Monte dei Paschi executives to meet with eurozone regulator. The management of troubled lender Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA is set to meet officials at the eurozone banking regulator in Frankfurt, WSJ reports, as Italy’s government crisis threatens to derail the bank’s recapitalization plans.
Banks spend $200 billion on post-crisis regulatory consulting. Retail banks across the globe spent $200 billion on consultancy fees in the aftermath of the financial crisis as they battled to keep up with ever-changing regulations and to return their businesses to the black, FT reports.
CFTC leaves rule for Trump administration. U.S. regulators failed to put the finishing touches on a much-debated, long-delayed rule to limit speculation in commodities like oil and gold, WSJ reports, opting instead to propose a scaled-back version and leave its outcome in the hands of the Trump administration.
China cracks down on insurers. Chinese regulators have intensified their crackdown on insurers’ use of high-risk, high-return products, which are often used to fund corporate deals, FT reports. The clampdown comes days after the country’s securities regulator separately denounced companies making highly leveraged takeovers as “barbarians” and “robbers.”
DATA SECURITY
Tech firms join forces to take down terror content.Alphabet’s YouTube, Facebook, Twitter Inc. and Microsoftannounced they would form a shared database of identifiers of online terror images and videos in a bid to speed up the takedown of content that has helped terror cells recruit followers and spread radical ideas on the Web, WSJ reports.
Talking dolls pose privacy risk to children. Internet-connected toys pose privacy risks to children, and their parents often aren’t aware, according to advocacy groups for children and consumers, WSJ reports.
GOVERNANCE
Lego restructures itself. The Danish family behind the Lego plastic-brick empire is shaking up the company’s ownership structure, WSJ reports, elevating an executive widely credited for rescuing the toy maker from the brink of bankruptcy to manage all-things Lego and explore new business ventures.REUTERS
Activist investors target diversity. A trio of activist investors is targeting big U.S. financial institutions in 2017, Bloomberg reports, demanding they disclose compensation data for men and women, and publish statistics about the race and gender of their employees.
BlackRock names BuzzFeed executive as chief marketing officer. BlackRock Inc. has hired a new global chief marketing officer from digital media company BuzzFeed as the world’s largest money manager works to bolster its business from individual investors, WSJ reports.
Dalian Wanda executive resigns. The chief architect behind Dalian Wanda Group’s $4.4 billion buyout to take its flagship Hong Kong-listed property arm private and relist it in China has resigned without seeing the plan through, according to an internal memo cited by Reuters.
RISK
Theranos foresaw huge revenue growth. While soliciting investors in 2014 and 2015, Theranos Inc. predicted revenue of nearly $2 billion and net income of about $505 million this year, according to investor materials from the blood-testing startup. The projections help show how Theranos and founder Elizabeth Holmes attracted more than $632 million in its latest funding round, which included the period when the investor materials were distributed. The Wall Street Journal reviewed a copy of the documents.GETTY IMAGES
Trump education secretary pick has indirect stake in student lender. Betsy DeVos, tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to run the U.S. Department of Education, is an indirect investor in online-lending company Social Finance Inc., a startup whose fortunes hinge in part on policies crafted by the department Ms. DeVos would run, WSJ reports. Ms. DeVos and her husband Dick DeVos are investors in RPM Ventures, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based venture-capital firm that was one of SoFi’s earliest backers, according to the firms’ websites.
Banks, retailers square off over Dodd-Frank fees. Six years ago, when President Obama signed the Dodd-Frank Act into law, America’s retailers got a big reduction in the debit-card fees they pay banks. Now, with Donald J. Trump set to take office, they’re preparing for a lobbying fight to defend that legislative victory — and the billions they’ve saved as a result, Bloomberg reports.
OPERATIONS
How a Zara coat goes from design to shelf in 25 days.The garment’s journey from design workshop in Spain to retail display rack in Manhattan, traced by The Wall Street Journal, offers an inside look at the fast-fashion model that has made Zara’s parent company, Inditex, the world’s biggest fashion retailer by sales.
IKEA broadens parental-leave coverage. Swedish retailer IKEA International A/S will offer U.S. employees up to four months of paid parental leave, WSJ reports, becoming one of the few chain retailers to bring benefits usually reserved for salaried workers to an hourly workforce.

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Ikea to offer U.S. employees up to 4 months of paid parental leave

Dec 6, 2016 | Fast Company

By Marcus Baram

Starting on January 1, Ikea's U.S. employees will get up to four months of paid parental leave under a new policy that is unusually generous for chain retailers, reports the Wall Street Journal. Of the chain's 13,000 workers in the U.S., those who've worked there for at least a year will get their full base pay for the first 6 weeks and half of their base pay for the next 6 weeks of leave. And those who've worked at Ikea for three or more years will get 8 weeks of full pay and another 8 weeks for half their base pay. Sounds impressive—until you realize that back in Sweden, the chain's employees get 68 weeks of paid parental leave.

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IKEA Offers Up To 4 Months Paid Parental Leave In Rare Move For Retail Sector

Dec 6, 2016 | Forbes

By Clare O'Connor

Swedish furniture chain IKEA will now offer up to four months paid parental leave to its U.S. workers of all genders, whether they're salaried or hourly -- and irrespective of whether they're becoming parents via birth, adoption, or fostering.
The move, announced on Tuesday, sets IKEA apart from its peers in the U.S. retail sector. While increasingly generous parental leave policies have become par for the course in the tech world and at large law and accountancy firms, store chains tend to restrict such benefits to executives and managers.
Walmart, for instance, offers 90 days paid maternity leave and 14 days paternity or adoption leave to salaried employees only. Competitor Target doesn't comment on its paid parental leave policies. Women's job review site Fairygodboss ranked the 160 U.S. companies offering the most paid parental leave in 2016; none of them are traditional brick-and-mortar retailers.
The U.S. remains the only developed country in the world with no laws guaranteeing paid parental leave of any kind. The Family and Medical Leave Act mandates 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave, but only to full-time workers at companies with over 50 employees.
Only 12% of American workers are offered paid leave through their employers. This figure drops to 5% for low-wage workers. Retail employees eligible for FMLA unpaid leave often can't afford to take the time off, making IKEA's inclusive policy all the more remarkable.
The flat-pack giant's offering is, rather unusually, based on tenure. "Co-workers who have been with IKEA for more than one year can take up to three months of paid leave to be with their family, receiving 100% of their base wage for the first six weeks of parental leave and 50% for an additional six weeks," said the company in a statement.
"Co-workers with three or more years’ tenure can take up to four months of paid leave, receiving 100% of their base wage for the first eight weeks and 50% for an additional eight weeks. This is in addition to the six to eight weeks of Short Term Disability available to all co-workers regardless of tenure."
These benefits, while superior to those of IKEA's U.S. competitors, remain a far cry from the company's policy in its homeland of Sweden.
IKEA workers, like all Swedish workers, are entitled to 480 paid days off when they become parents via birth or adoption. While the U.S. is a long way off from the progressive policies of Scandinavia, IKEA's decision to grant hourly workers the same benefits as salaried employees is a promising start in a sector marred by low wages and high turnover.

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Why IKEA Has Richard Branson Beat on Paid Leave

Dec 6, 2016 | Inc.

By Bartie Scott

Why was Richard Branson's 2015 announcement of a year of paid leave for new fathers at Virgin Atlantic met with criticism? Because it only applied to 0.2 percent of his employees: management who have been at the company for four years. Hourly workers were left out.
Not making the same mistake is Ikea. The Swedish furniture giant said Monday that its new parental policy, effective January 1, will extend to the company's 13,000 U.S. employees--both salaried and hourly. Now those who have been with the company for a year will gain access to up to four months of paid leave. The policy applies to both mothers and fathers after a birth, adoption, or foster child placement. (Previously, the company offered new parents on salary five days of paid leave and all birth mothers received six to eight weeks of short-term disability.)
"We know a workforce that has an opportunity to spend time with family and friends and particularly to welcome a new child will be happier and therefore do a better job," Lars Petersson, who heads up Ikea's operations in the U.S., told the Wall Street Journal.
The move comes as a federal mandate on paid parental leave looks increasingly likely. During his campaign, President-Elect Donald Trump called for paid maternity leave for married women who give birth. So if you haven't given this much thought, now's the time to consider your options.
For Ikea, the parental leave change is just its latest policy initiative to entice U.S. workers. Efforts to pay employees a living wage depending on geography that began in 2015, have resulted in a $15.45 an hour average wage for all U.S. non-salary workers. It also offers up to a year of unpaid sabbatical leave for all employees, even part-time workers.
To be sure, these new policies are part of a "multi-million dollar" effort from one of the world's biggest companies. Yet Petersson is convinced they'll have a "big payback," he says.
Payment structure during time off caries among the 26 percent of U.S. employers that offer paid maternity leave beyond the basic amount covered by short-term disability. At Ikea, employees who have worked at the company for a year receive full pay for the first six weeks, and half pay for next six weeks. Those who have been with the company for three years increase to eight weeks of full pay and eight weeks of half pay. Less than year with Ikea entitles new moms to disability pay.
If you think this is generous, it's not even close to what government subsidized benefits in Sweden allow Ikea to provide to employees there--68 weeks of fully paid leave to mothers and fathers of new babies.

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IKEA Unveils New Paid Parental Leave Policy

Dec 6, 2016 | ABC News Radio

IKEA announced a new parental leave policy for its employees on Tuesday, giving its 13,000 workers in the U.S. up to four months of paid parental leave.

The new policy covers all employees -- both salaried and hourly workers, mothers and fathers, and adoptive and foster parents.

"At IKEA, we believe time with family and friends is so important for a healthy work-life balance and a happy and productive workforce," IKEA US President Lars Petersson said in a statement. "This benefit, which applies to all parents, will give our co-workers the opportunity to spend more time with their families when welcoming a child."

"Our co-workers are our most important resource, which is why we continue to invest in helping them reach their dream," Petersson added.

The policy goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2017 and is based on a sliding scale depending on how long employees have been with the company.

Those who have worked for the Swedish retailer for more than a year "can take up to three months of paid leave to be with their family, receiving 100% of their base wage for the first six weeks of parental leave and 50% for an additional six weeks," IKEA explains.

"Co-workers with three or more years’ tenure can take up to four months of paid leave, receiving 100% of their base wage for the first eight weeks and 50% for an additional eight weeks," the company adds.

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Morning intel: Facebook struggles with fake news, Ikea ups its parental leave

Dec 6, 2016 | Fast Company

By Rose Pastore

• A Republican presidential elector in Texas said he would not vote for Donald Trump, despite his pledge to follow his state's popular vote, because he says Trump "shows daily he is not qualified for the office."
• Facebook is testing a reporting tool that will let users flag links to misleading or untrue articles. The social network has faced criticism in recent months over the proliferation of so-called fake news on its platform.
• The European Union's chief negotiator of Brexit said the United Kingdom must reach a deal to leave the EU by October 2018.
• Swedish furniture maker Ikea said it will offer its U.S. employees—including hourly workers—up to 4 months of paid parental leave.

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This college president makes 129 times more than his students; plus, find out what billionaires and celebrity icons do in the morning

Dec 6, 2016 | MarketWatch

By Alessandra Malito

Tuesday's top personal finance stories
Happy Tuesday, MarketWatchers! Hope your weeks are off to a great start. Here are your top personal finance stories of the day.Personal FinanceI’m a 40-year-old woman with a great career and my own home — so why am I so unhappy?
This woman feels like she has sacrificed everything to achieve financial security.
10 psychological retail tricks that make you spend more money
What to watch out for these retail strategies when shopping this holiday season.
What Arnold Schwarzenegger, Marc Andreessen and Margaret Cho have in common
Tim Ferriss spoke with over 100 successful people for his book “Tools of Titans”; here’s what they do every morning.
iPhone-obsessed parents spend even more time on their devices than their children
Teens and tweens learn their dependence on gadgets at home.
3 charts that show how Americans feel about torture
Is torture ever OK? What Americans think.
This is why Americans are overweight and broke
Dining out is busting Americans’ budgets and belts.
This college president makes 129 times more than the $42,000 his students earn after years in the workplace
Comparing how much the highest paid college presidents make — with the students from their schools.
Financial services industry is at risk to get even whiter
The number of African-Americans and Latinos in the financial services industry remained virtually unchanged from 1993 to 2013, according to the Census, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Government Accountability Office.
Swedish retailer IKEA broadens U.S. parental leave coverage
Swedish retailer IKEA International A/S will offer U.S. employees up to four monthsof paid parental leave, becoming one of the few chain retailers to bring benefits usually reserved for salaried workers to an hourly workforce.
Americans spend over $1 billion a year on Christmas trees; here’s where they buy them
Prices for some specialty trees in New York City have hit $1,000.
Elsewhere on MarketWatchHouse’s top tax writer calls reform, not Trump tariff, the path to keeping business in U.S.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady talks to MarketWatch about Republicans’ tax plans; President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threat; asking Democrats about a ‘redesign’ for the Internal Revenue Service; and more.
Pentagon plays down study that found $125 billion in wasteful spending
The Pentagon on Tuesday played down a study that found $125 billion in waste in its business operations, saying it was of “limited value.” The Washington Post alleged that defense officials hid the report.
Easygoing Joe Biden remains loose about 2020 White House bid
Vice President Joe Biden said Monday he may run for president in 2020. Or at least he said he wouldn’t not run.
NY Times: Trump needs to call Elon Musk
Donald Trump’s road to the presidency has been paved with promises of lighting a fire under the U.S. manufacturing sector and bringing back all those “jobs that have been stolen from you.” He needs to add somebody to the group.
The average Defense Department contractor is paid nearly $200,000
The average contractor working for the Defense Department is paid nearly $200,000 a year, including benefits and other costs, according to an internal Pentagon study aimed at saving money and making its bureaucracy more efficient.
Trump sold all of his stock holdings in June, says transition spokesman
President-elect Donald Trump sold all of his equity-market holdings in June, a transition spokesman said, removing himself from positions in numerous U.S. companies.
Business Roundtable is wary on trade but eager for a pro-business Trump White House
The CEOs of America’s biggest companies don’t expect the economy to grow like gangbusters in 2017, but they are optimistic that a pro-business Trump administration will help lay the groundwork for faster growth in the future.
The adviser who recommended Google before anyone else is now touting this stock
Louis Navellier recognized Google’s long-term potential within months of its IPO in 2004, writes Mark Hulbert.

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The Atlantic Daily: Misstep and Mistrial

Dec 6, 2016 | The Atlantic

By ROSA INOCENCIO SMITH

This article is part of a feature we also send out via email as The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter with stories, ideas, and images from The Atlantic, written specially for subscribers. To sign up, please enter your email address in the field provided here.
What We’re Following
Talk of Taiwan: Last week, president-elect Donald Trump placed an impromptu phone call to Taiwan’s president, breaking a decades-old U.S. policy of refusing to recognize the Taiwanese government. This week, the fallout continues, with one Chinese scholar, Shen Dingli, arguing that if Trump did something similar after taking office, Shen might recommend China’s breaking ties with the U.S. Here’s the full interview with Shen, and here are some reactions from readers—one of whom makes the case for why it might be time to for America to reconsider its political fiction of a non-relationship with Taiwan. That would come, however, at the cost of seriously angering China, whose key partnership with the U.S. is already precarious.
A Lack of Conviction: A South Carolina judge declared a mistrial yesterday in the case of former police officer Michael Slager, who shot an unarmed black man, Walter Scott, five times in the back last April after he ran from a traffic stop. The jury was hung by a single holdout. Among the many incidents of officer-involved shootings, the details of Scott’s death—captured on video—are particularly horrific, and the fact that Slager wasn’t convicted—though he can be tried again and still faces federal charges—is part of a broader failure to hold police accountable. Something that might help with that: Ohio’s supreme court ruled today that recordings from police dashboard cameras are public records, and therefore the entire videos cannot be kept secret.
Taking Care of Business: Ikea, the Swedish furniture giant, announced today that not only will it offer its employees up to 16 weeks of paid parental leave—an unusually generous policy—it would also make those benefits available to part-time workers. That’s something very few companies do, and it’s an important step in recognizing employees as individuals and accommodating their varied challenges. On that note, two Atlantic reporters are reflecting on a major project of ours that brought together interviews about work and life with more than 100 American workers; check it out here, and read their discussion here. Speaking of workers: Some U.S. companies have exploited the H-1B visa program to lay off hundreds of employees and replace them with cheaper foreign guest workers. That’s not the way the program was meant to be used—but here’s one way to fix it.Snapshot
Duane Ehmer, part of an armed anti-government militia group then occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, rides his horse near Burns, Oregon, on January 7, 2016. See more from our look back at the year in photos here. (Justin Sullivan / Getty)Evening Read
Molly Ball on Trump’s perpetual campaign:
Trump is a salesman, and what he saw from the beginning was that politics was a sales game, just like business, where his name was worth as much or more than anything he built. He learned early on in the Republican primary that he could rile up voters and turn them on his rivals, and the other politicians would have to kneel before him or become irrelevant. As he assembles his administration, the same patterns are on display: feuding underlings, supplicants publicly vying for his favor, a divided country trying to figure out what he’ll do next. But the answer may be right in front of our noses: He is going to keep doing exactly what he’s always done.
Keep reading here, as Molly visits a Cincinnati rally to see the president-elect’s continued appeals to his supporters in action. Another example, perhaps: Trump tweeted today that he’d like to cancel plans for Boeing to upgrade Air Force One—but his spokesman acknowledged the tweet was mainly just a political signal.What Do You Know?
1. In 1957, CBS delayed airing what would have been the pilot episode of Leave it to Beaver over concerns that viewers would be offended by the depiction of a ____________.
Scroll down for the answer, or find it here.
2. “Jerries,” “gapers,” and “gorbs” are all slang terms for people who are new to the sport of ____________.
Scroll down for the answer, or find it here.
3. _____________ is the most-often-nominated woman in the history of the Grammy Awards.
Scroll down for the answer, or find it here.
ANSWERS: TOILET, SKIING, BEYONCÉReader Response
Melissa reacts to the headline of Emma Green’s recent article about the complexities of Jewish identity in America, which was titled, “Are Jews White?”:
I thought it was provocative in an unfortunate way. … Judaism is not a race, it’s a religion. And second of all, the only reason people are thinking about whether Jews are white right now is because there are white supremacists influencing the conversation and pointing it in that direction. ...
I felt like it was essentially allowing the white-supremacist conversation to dominate the headline. I felt that it could have the dangerous effect of making that the question—Are Jews white? Should they have fewer rights than white people?—and push the conversation in a more prejudicial direction.
Read more reactions here, along with Emma’s response.Where You Live
On our partner site, CityLab, we’re exploring the cities of the future—and investigating the biggest ideas and issues facing city dwellers around the world. Adam Sneed shares three of today’s top stories:
What does it take to get more commuters out of their cars? It’s a vexing but critical question for many cities—one that’s directly related to efforts to address traffic, pollution, and public health concerns. For a lesson in doing it right, look to Vancouver, the car-free capital of North America.
Oakland’s deadly warehouse fire this weekend shines a light on the severity of the city’s affordability crisis. It’s especially troubling for the artists who fuel the city’s image as a hub of arts and culture, but who have been pushed to the margins—and into unsafe and illegal living arrangements. Now, some hope the tragedy will force the city to seriously address its lack of affordable housing.
Remember Louisiana’s devastating floods in August? Expect to see more like it across the U.S. as climate change marches on. A new mapfrom the National Center for Atmospheric Research shows which regions are in for the most extreme changes by the end of the century.
For more updates from the urban world, subscribe to CityLab’s daily newsletter.

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Ikea's New Parental Leave Policy Is A Nod To Its

Dec 6, 2016 | Refinery 29

By Marshall Bright

Ikea’s U.S. employees, both hourly and salaried, will be entitled to up to four months paid parental leave starting January 1, Fortune reports. Employees with up to a year of tenure will get three months off, with the first six weeks at full pay and the second six weeks at half pay.

Those who have been with the company for at least three years will receive eight fully paid weeks and eight weeks at half pay, for a total of four months. The policy applies not only to birth mothers but also fathers as well as adoptive and foster parents.

Currently, there is no national protection for paid parental leave. The only federal policy currently is the Family and Medical Leave Act, which guarantees only 12 weeks of unpaid leave to certain employees — only around 40% of women.

Paid maternity leave also disproportionally favors higher earners, as Fortune points out. Only 5% of the lowest wage earners receive any kind of paid family leave, a group that contains hourly and part-time workers who are often not extended the same family leave benefits as salaried employees even at the same company.

Ikea’s decision to extend the same policy to all employees is heartening, but also a reminder of how far we have still to go. In a press release, Ikea cited its “Swedish roots” in informing the new policy. In Sweden, new parents receive 68 weeks of leave with the aid of government subsidies. The United States, on the other hand, is one of only two countries in the world that don’t offer some form of paid federal maternity leave.

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I cannot, but IKEA Can

Dec 6, 2016 | Medium

By Julia Beck

I cannot assemble even one thing from IKEA.
IKEA on the other hand has built something remarkable.
They have taken a bold move, made a real-time investment in their workforce and continued their commentment to parents. They join a small handful of organizations that listened well enough to create meaningful change, making a long-term investment in workers and in partiucalar, families.IKEA space for family via Mommodesign.com
As of January 1, IKEA will offer it’s 14,000 salaried and hourly workers in the U.S. up to four months of paid parental leave. The policy applies to mothers and fathers who are birth, adoptive, or foster parents, and it expands on Ikea’s previous policy that gave fives days of paid leave to new parents, plus up to eight weeks of paid disability leave for new moms, according to the Associated Press.
Lars Petersson, president of Ikea’s U.S. division, told The Associated Press the parental leave expansion will give employees a better feeling about the workplace and will mean better service to customers.
“We want them to take time off,” he said. “The home is our arena. We think the home is the most important place for people.” Petersson has really nailed it.
But this did not happen overnight. And that is the impressive part. IKEA started in 2015 by making a clear and honest commitment to raising the quality of employee experience. They did not do any of this quickly, and that is the admirable part. They took their time. They listened.
What did they hear? They heard about wages. They heard about the challenges of inconsistent scheudles on all workers and especially those with families and/or second jobs.
In 2015 they began to raise minimum hourly pay to align with local living wages. This was remarkable in more than half of their workers received an immediate pay bump. In 2016 they raised wages again. At this point hourly workers at IKEA make over $15 an hour.
Additionally, they made a commitment to offering store workers more consistent (now employees can know what to expect) and even fuller schedules (possibily resulting in less of a need for second or third jobs). According to the Wall Street Journal, Three-quarters of employees now work more than 20 hours a week, up from 66% in 2013.
All now parental leave — the jewel in the crown —
According to Fortune, The new policy is remarkable in that it treats salaried and hourly workers the same. The U.S. division of Ikea, the quirky Swedish furniture retailer, is expanding its paid leave benefits for new parents in an effort to attract and retain talent in a tight labor market.
Oh IKEA how I adore you. One of just a handful of organizations to slowly, carefully labor through the complexities of developing parental leave as well as on and off ramp policies that speak to both hourly and salaried employees. I am most impressed by your pragmatism. You took your time and you continue to make every effort to get it right.
Let’s support IKEA — planning a pumping lounge for your work-place? Designing a nursery at home? How about showing a little IKEA love and following their lead (and even their directions!) to build spaces that make us all feel at home!
Do you have a story about your experience with leave or return to work after baby? Please share it with us!

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IKEA offers four months of paid parental leave to new mothers AND fathers as it competes with Google and Netflix in employee benefits

Dec 6, 2016 | Daily Mail

By Jennifer Smith

Birth, adoptive and foster mothers and fathers will all be able to claim benefit
Staff with one year of experience can take up to three months off
They will be given full pay for first six weeks and half pay for the remainder
Those with three years get eight weeks at full pay and eight weeks at half pay
Technology companies Facebook, Google and Netflix all offer attractive policies
The US is one of few thriving countries not to impose paid parental leave laws
IKEA is offering all its American employees up to four months of paid parental leave in a shake-up of staff benefits.
Birth, foster and adoptive mothers and fathers will all be able to claim the new program which will come into effect in January, 2017.
Salaried and hourly staff with one year of experience at the company can claim three months: six weeks at full pay and another six weeks at half pay.
Those with three years under their belts can take four months off. They will receive full pay for the first eight weeks and half pay for the remainder.
It is the latest push by the Swedish company to improve worker conditions in the US, one of the few thriving countries in the world where there is no nationwide law to support paid parental leave.
It recently increased staff minimum wage to correspond with local living standards rather than follow the national average.
Under current rules, American employers are only required to give 12 weeks of unpaid leave to female employees who are either giving birth or adopting a baby.
IKEA's current policy gives both parents just one week of paid parental leave. Mothers also receive six-eight weeks off in short term disability leave.
Lars Petersson, president of IKEA's U.S. division, said its bosses were encouraging staff to make the most of its new policy.
'We want them to take time off. The home is our arena.
'We think the home is the most important place for people,' he said in a statement. +2
Under current rules, American employers are only required to give 12 weeks of unpaid leave to female employees who are either giving birth or adopting a baby (file image) +2
Netflix offers staff up to one year of paid parental leave, leading California's technology companies which are consistently one-upping each other in employee benefits
Netflix recently improved its parental leave policy to allow workers to take up to a year of paid leave after welcoming a child.
Google, which is regularly regarded among the best companies to work for, offers staff 18 weeks of paid parental leave and a further 12 weeks of 'baby bonding' to take before a child's first birthday.
Amazon offers new mothers with a year of experience up to 20 weeks of paid time off.
Facebook and Apple went one further in 2014 by adding egg freezing subsidies to its list of staff benefits.
Online retailer Etsy offers staff up to six months of paid leave while DLA law firm gives both parents 16 weeks. BEST PARENTAL LEAVE POLICIES
IKEA: Up to four months paid leave for all parents dependent on time spent at company
Facebook: 17 weeks of paid leave for both mother and father taken at once or spread out over 1 year
Netflix: Up to one year of paid leave at parents' discretion
Google: 18 weeks of parental leave and 12 weeks of 'baby bonding'
Etsy: Six months of paid leave
Reddit: 16 weeks of paid leave at once or spread over 1st year
Twitter: 20 weeks for birth mothers, 10 weeks for all other parents
Microsoft: 12 weeks paid for all parents, birth mothers get 20 weeks
Adobe: 26 weeks paid maternity for birth and adoptive mothers; 16 weeks paternity for birth and adoptive fathers
Apple: Mothers can take four weeks off before birth and 14 weeks off afterwards. Fathers and other non-birth parents get six weeks of paid leave
Amazon: New mothers with one year of experience up to 20 weeks of paid time

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U.S. IKEA Employees to Get Up to 4 Months Paid Parental Leave

Dec 6, 2016 | Investor Place

By Karl Utermohlen

U.S. IKEA employees will be getting more paid parental leave moving forward.
The Swedish furniture chain has announced that its stateside workers will now get up to four months of paid parental leave. The move follows a growing industry trend as plenty of retailers are offering more parental leave, perhaps because the demands of a new parent are appreciated more in the present day.
The move applies to 13,000 IKEA workers, including salaried and hourly workers. The new policy will be in effect as of Jan. 1, 2017 and it applies to birth father and mothers, as well as adoptive or foster parents.
The company previously offered women giving birth only five days of paid leave, along with six to eight weeks of paid disability leave. IKEA has also been making moves towards helping its employees feel at home in a number of other ways.
Wages for workers were increased to $11.87 an hour for employees at the very bottom thanks to a number of increases that were added over the last two years. Workers who have been with the company for at least a year are eligible for paid parental leave for three months.
Employees who have been at IKEA for three years can get up to four months off, with eight weeks at full paid leave, along with eight other weeks with half pay from the furniture company.

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Ikea significantly ramps up paid parental leave benefits

Dec 6, 2016 | Employee Benefit News

By Kathryn Mayer

Ikea is significantly expanding its paid parental leave benefits.
The furniture retailer announced Tuesday it will provide up to four months paid parental leave for all U.S. employees — salaried and hourly workers, mothers and fathers, and adoptive and foster parents.
Starting Jan. 1, workers who have been with the company for a year will get six weeks of leave at full pay, followed by six weeks at half pay. Workers who have been with the company for three years will be eligible for eight weeks at full pay, followed by eight weeks at half pay.
Employees are still able to take six to eight weeks of short-term disability regardless of tenure, the company said.
The expanded policy was introduced to ensure employees have the opportunity to bond with their children and connect as a new family, says Lars Petersson, Ikea’s U.S president.
“We believe time with family and friends is so important for a healthy work-life balance and a happy and productive workforce,” he says. “This benefit, which applies to all parents, will give our workers the opportunity to spend more time with their families when welcoming a child. Our workers are our most important resource, which is why we continue to invest in helping them reach their dream.”
The company’s updated policy is a significant revamp. Until now, U.S. Ikea workers were given one week of paid leave on top of their short-term disability.
Additionally, Ikea announced it is introducing a sabbatical program for employees to take time to “refresh and engage in personal and professional growth and development.”
Employees who have been with Ikea for seven years can take off three months of unpaid time for any reason they wish, with their position guaranteed when they return. For employees who have been with the company even longer, the benefits are even better: Employees with 11 years at the company can take a sabbatical up to six months, and for those with 15 years at Ikea, a sabbatical can last a full year.
Though U.S. employers traditionally haven’t been very generous with paid leave — a Pew Research Center report ranks the United States last out of 38 countries in government-supported time off for new parents — an increasing number of big-name firms have expanded the benefit. Bank of America and Ernst and Young both increased paid parental leave benefits for its employees this year.
“Offering generous paid parental leave has become table stakes among Silicon Valley companies,” Rich Fuerstenberg, a Mercer partner, told EBN in September. “But you’ll also find similar programs in other industries like professional service, accounting firms, consulting firms and investment banks.”

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Ikea Expands Parental Leave, Introduces Sabbaticals for US Employees

Dec 6, 2016 | CEB Global

Starting January 1, the Swedish modular furniture retailer Ikea will begin offering all US employees who have worked at least a full year with the company three months of paid parental leave, including six weeks at full pay and another six weeks at half pay, the Associated Press reports. New parents who have been at Ikea more than three years can take up to four months. Additionally, Ikea is now offering long-term employees unpaid sabbaticals of up to a year, depending on their tenure with the company, with guaranteed .
The policy applies to all employees—hourly and salaried, mothers and fathers, biological and adoptive parents, gay and straight—and can be combined with any short-term disability leave the employee may qualify for, meaning birth mothers may be able to take up to six months of fully or partly paid leave in total, the Huffington Post’s Dave Jamieson adds:
Nabeela Ixtabalan, the company’s head of human resources in the U.S., said Ikea looked at research on paid leave programs in order to shape its own. For instance, the decision to offer the first half of the leave at full pay was influenced by a finding from a Boston College study on paternity leave. The vast majority of respondents in a survey said that they wouldn’t use the leave unless at least 70 percent of their salaries were paid.
“We looked at a lot of external research,” Ixtabalan said. “We asked what would people need to take it.” …
Ikea has been burnishing its reputation as a decent employer the last couple of years. In 2014, the company raised its company-wide minimum wage, but it did so in a novel way. Rather than set a national minimum, it set its wage floors store by store, tying each one to the local living wage as determined by the MIT living wage calculator. It has raised those minimums twice since then.
Lars Petersson, president of Ikea’s U.S. division, told the Wall Street Journal’s Lauren Weber that the motivation behind the policy, which will cost the company millions of dollars, is to improve employee engagement, retention, and productivity, and that Ikea leaders are “convinced there will be a big payback.”
Many major US employers have rolled out more generous parental leave policies this year, as federal and state governments move haltingly toward some kind of mandate, but as Jena McGregor points out at the Washington Post, Ikea’s new policy is “unusually expansive for the retail industry”:
For one, unlike companies in the technology or consulting industry that have adopted luxe benefits to help attract more millennial engineers or MBAs to their ranks, retailers require less competitive skills. … Katie Bethell, executive director of PLUS, a nonprofit advocacy group for paid family leave, says their research shows that while some national retailers offer six to eight weeks of paid leave for new birth mothers, “it’s really a step forward to be extending that kind of leave to dads and adoptive parents,” Bethell said.
Also unusual is Ikea’s decision to grant more generous leave to employees with longer tenures at the company:
“It’s interesting to see companies experimenting with different models,” Bethell said. “That seems to reflect viewing parental leave as a retention strategy that’s on the table.” That sort of design is particularly relevant in an industry where turnover is high.

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Ikea's New Maternity Leave Policy Gives Employees Up to Four Months of Paid Time Off

Dec 6, 2016 | Glamour

By CRISSY MILAZZO

Ikea’s United States division just made a huge change in their parental leave policy, one that will hopefully help more than a few new parents in their 13,000-person workforce. Starting January 1st, all employees will be eligible to up to four months of paid time off.
Although Ikea is a foreign company, it seems they want to be a role-model business when it comes to paid parental leave in the United States. Lars Petersson, the president of Ikea U.S., told the Huffington Post that because the company is a home-based chain, (meaning, they literally are inside most of our houses), they felt compelled to change their policy to be more home-friendly. "We think that it’s really important that people working for us get a chance to experience their home," said Petersson, "especially when you’re welcoming a new family member."
How will Ikea's parental leave policy actually apply to its employees? The popular furniture superstore will give new parents up to four months of paid time off, with both hourly and salaried employees being eligible as long as they've worked a full year at Ikea. This new policy will be active starting in the new year and will apply to birth, foster, and adoptive parents. As the Huffington Post reports, the chain had previously only allowed only new moms just five days of paid maternity leave, with six-to-eight weeks of paid disability leave on the table as the maximum amount of time off. The new parental leave policy favors employees with tenure: If you've worked at IKEA for three years or more, you can receive "up to four months of paid leave, with the first eight weeks coming with full pay, and the second eight at half pay." For newer employees, the policy provides for 12 weeks of paid leave, with the latter six at "half pay."
The change in terminology in the policy's name alone—"parental leave" rather than "maternity leave"—is also important to note, as it is a reflection of how Ikea is attempting to follow in the footsteps of companies like Netflix, Etsy, and Twitter in updating outdated policies to be more understanding towards new parents. The U.S. lacks any real policy on parental leave itself, with The Family Medical Leave Act being the only federal law that addresses paid parental leave, mandating 12 weeks of unpaid parental leave only for employees that qualify for its provisions—not all employees.
The bottom line of Ikea's new parental leave policy is that employees will get to spend time with their new children when they need to, and they won't do so without pay. Ikea is definitely taking a step in the right direction when it comes to treating their employees better, and they aren't stopping at addressing new parents. The final cherry-on-top of their policy changes is a new sabbatical program. Ikea will now let employees who have seven years with the company take off for up to three months (unpaid), whenever they want, with their position guaranteed when they return. The longer an employee has been working for Ikea, the more time they can get: 11 years warrants a six-month leave, and 15 years can get an employee a full year.
Hopefully, Ikea will set an example for other big businesses to become fair, employee-friendly companies as well. There are so many companies in the United States who have outdated labor policies when it comes to new parents (we're looking at you, Starbucks). Perhaps the United States government will take a stand on paid parental leave, but what's more likely is that employees will have to push for businesses to address the issue.

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Ikea's Paid Parental Leave Policy Is Generous & Sets The Bar For Other Companies

Dec 6, 2016 | Romper

By Karen Fratti

Ikea, the Swedish mega-retailer and home of that piece of furniture you never figured out how to assemble, just took a major step in an effort make families' lives easier. On Tuesday, Ikea announced a 16-week paid parental leave policy for all employees. Even hourly employees. It's a huge move that sets the bar pretty high for other retailers.
It's one thing to work at a large company and get nearly four months of maternity leave. Or even paid maternity leave (don't even get started with paternity leave). But a big box retailer offering paid leave for all new parents is a really progressive move. Of course, there are some stipulations, but it's still all around a pretty generous plan.
As of January 2017, all Ikea employees in the United States will be eligible to take three months of paid leave if they've worked a year at the company. Workers can collect full pay for their first six weeks and then half of their pay for the second six weeks. Employees — from corporate managers to stockers — can take the full four months if they've worked for the company for three years. The same math applies, they receive full pay for eight weeks and half pay for the second eight weeks. All of that comes on top of whatever short term disability they are eligible for.
Lars Petersson, president of Ikea's U.S. division, told the Associated Press that the new policy will certainly trickle down to customers. "We want [employees] to take time off. The home is our arena. We think the home is the most important place for people," he said.
The move follows on the heels of the company raising its minimum hourly wage to an average of $11.87 and offering unpaid sabbatical for all employees, even those who are just part time. The sabbatical can be up to a year, depending on how long they've been working for the company. This is way up from the 30 day personal leave it used to offer.
All of this is way ahead of other retailers, and even other companies in general. According to the Bureau of Labor, only around 13 percent of American workersget paid leave. Petersson says it's not about copying Swedish values (where the company is from) as much as it is just promoting a healthy work culture.“This is not so much to replicate anything we do in Europe. It’s just to take the values and culture ... and transform that into the U.S. reality," he told The Huffington Post.
Whatever works, right? It's amazing to give even part time employees, as long as they have some tenure, paid parental leave. It means that the people that make up Ikea's heart, and their families, come first — which can be easy to forget in the workaholic culture here in America.

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Ikea's new parental leave policy is sweet (and Swedish)

Dec 6, 2016 | SheKnows.com

By Jennifer Mattern

It’s not just the Swedish meatballs and inexpensive, unpronounceable furniture that we’re loving. This holiday season, our fave affordable home furnishing store, Ikea, took a page from Santa’s playbook. The company gifted its U.S. workers with a new paid family leave policy that’s a stunner compared to most American company standards.
Ikea will ring in the New Year on January 1 by granting 14,000 workers — salaried and hourly — up to four paid months of parental leave. That’s mothers and fathers who are birth, foster or adoptive parents.
The policy shift is a huge and welcome change to Ikea’s previous parental leave program for its U.S. workers. According to the Associated Press, the old policy granted just five days of paid leave to new parents, then up to eight weeks of paid disability leave for new mothers.
What’s behind the massive, family-friendly shift? Ikea says that the new parental leave policy is far more in line with its “Swedish roots,” and better reflects the company’s vision “to create a better everyday life for all people.”
The policy also won’t hurt when it comes to attracting (and keeping) loyal workers in an iffy post-election economy, especially since the leave will apply to both salaried and hourly workers—a bonus almost unheard of in the U.S. The Wall Street Journal reports that Lars Petersson, the head of Ikea’s U.S. operations, expects the program to reduce turnover and increase productivity considerably.
We tend to agree with Petersson, as the fine print looks as good as the headlines: With the new policy, all employees who’ve worked at Ikea for a minimum of one year will take home full pay for the first six weeks of parental leave, then half of their pay rate for an additional six weeks. The deal is even sweeter for Ikea employees who’ve been with the company for more than three years. They’re now eligible for (you might want to sit down) eight weeks at their usual pay, and a subsequent eight weeks at half-rate.
We sure wish more U.S. companies would follow suit with generous parental leave policies that benefit both hourly and salaried workers. Companies like Etsy and Netflix have recently trotted out improved paid-time off policies for new parents, but benefits for hourly workers pale in comparison to those of salaried workers. Few American companies have been willing to address the growing economic divide between their paid-hourly workers and those on salary. We’re hoping Ikea’s bold move will spur other organizations to create more favorable policies for all, and not just a handful, of workers.
Considering that the U.S. is the only industrialized county that does not legislate guaranteed paid time off for new mothers, it’s no wonder that Ikea’s new parental leave policy is garnering plenty of positive attention. After all, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 13% of U.S. workers were eligible for paid family leave in 2016. Still, Ikea’s U.S. policy shift in parental leave doesn’t come close to the (wait for it) 68 weeks of parental leave that Ikea workers receive in Sweden, where the government provides subsidies for new parents. Swoon. We can dream, can’t we? In the meantime, we’re happy to keep shopping at Ikea. Pass the lingonberry jam.

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Ikea's Awesome New Paid Leave For Parents Is More Swedish Than American

Dec 6, 2016 | Pop Sugar

By Kate Emswiler

In an effort to attract and retain excellent employees, Ikea's American offices are taking a hint from the company's home country of Sweden by implementing a truly awesome paid family leave policy. In addition to offering paid leave for both female and male workers who are having children, the policy also applies equally to salaried and hourly employees — a move that is most unusual in the United States.
Starting Jan. 1, 2017:
Every one of Ikea's 14,000 workers in the US will be eligible for up to four months of paid parental leave.
This includes both women and men who are having children, and it applies to both salaried and hourly workers.
The benefit applies to any employee who is a birth, adoptive, or foster parent.
Regardless of how long an employee has worked for the company, Ikea workers will receive six to eight weeks of short-term disability.
Those who have been with Ikea for at least a year will receive full base pay for the first six weeks of leave and half of their base pay for six more weeks. Employees who have worked at the company for three years or more can receive eight weeks of full pay and eight weeks of half pay.
Previously, Ikea's parental leave policy in the US was five days of paid leave for new parents and up to eight weeks of paid disability leave for new moms. This new policy improves upon the old one and is incredibly generous in comparison to most American companies, as the United States continues to be the only industrialized nation to not guarantee paid leave for mothers (much less fathers).
Some US companies are greatly expanding their family leave policies — but most are only eligible to top-tier employees. Ikea's new efforts to offer benefits to both salaried and hourly employees — regardless of their tenure at the company — is unique and awesome, and it will hopefully motivate other companies to do the same in order to stay competitive.
Although this is a boon for American Ikea workers, it remains a far cry from the leave policy in Sweden, where the government subsidizes workers' time off and parents enjoy 68 weeks of paid time off. Still, this news is a sign of progress, even if it needs to be taken in actual baby steps.

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Ikea offers employees 4 months of paid parental leave

Dec 6, 2016 | Daily Dot

By Jaya Saxena

Ikea announced it’s giving its U.S. employees up to four months of paid parental leave, which is exactly how long it takes to assemble the furniture maker's GONATT crib.
“We think that it’s really important that people working for us get a chance to experience their home, especially when you’re welcoming a new family member,” Lars Petersson, the president of Ikea US, told the Huffington Post. The company has 14,000 U.S. employees, who until now were given one week of paid leave and short-term disability for any parental leave.
Ikea was founded in Sweden, where parents are entitled to 480 days of paid parental leave, which they can take at any time until the child is 8. Ninety of those days are allocated specifically for the father. The U.S. requires 12 weeks of unpaid leave be available for new mothers, but it is up to employers as to whether or not to pay.

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IKEA to Offer Expanded Paid Parental Leave to All Employees

Dec 6, 2016 | kveller

By Molly Tolsky

Hallelujah! IKEA’s US division has announced plans to offer expanded paid parental leave to its 13,000 employees. Like Netflix and LinkedIn before it, it seems the furniture giant best known for its confusing assembly instructions and Swedish meatballs has realized that employees are humans, and as such, deserve a healthy dose of paid parental leave.
According to NBC News, effective January 1, the company will offer all its employees–mothers and fathers, salaried and hourly–up to four months of paid leave. The policy applies to birth, adoptive, and foster parents. Previously, only women giving birth were offered five days (DAYS!) of paid leave, in addition to 6-8 weeks of paid disability leave. Needless to say, this new policy is a huge improvement.
As we all know, paid maternity and paternity leave in the US is nothing to write home about, so it’s very encouraging to see more and more major companies putting better policies in place for their employees.
So let’s all grab our loved ones, spend hours searching for the perfect bookshelf while screaming at said loved ones, and feel good knowing that at least some corporations take their employees’ best interests to heart. Don’t forget to grab a cinnamon bun on your way out.

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Ikea is doing something incredible for working parents, and other companies should take note

Dec 6, 2016 | Hello Giggles

By Caitlin Flynn

A hot topic during this election cycle was guaranteed paid family leave — an initiative that Hillary Clinton vowed to fight for as president. Unfortunately, Donald Trump doesn’t share her views, and there’s little hope that any national progress will be made under his administration. But, Ikea is doing something incredible for working parents — and other companies would be wise to follow their lead.Beginning January 1, 2017, all Ikea workers in America will be eligible to take three months of paid parental leave if they’ve been with the company for at least one year. Even more importantly, this new initiative doesn’t apply solely to corporate employees. Every worker, including store-level sales associates and truck drivers, will be given the paid leave they deserve.
ADVERTISINGPexelsLars Petersson, the president of Ikea U.S., tells The Huffington Post that it’s a matter of principle. “The home is our arena,” he says. “We think that it’s really important that people working for us get a chance to experience their home, especially when you’re welcoming a new family member.”
Under the new plan, workers will receive their full pay for the first six weeks and 50 percent for the second six weeks. Employees who have been with the company for three or more years get four months of paid leave — they’ll collect full pay for the first eight weeks and half pay for the second eight weeks.But wait, it gets better — the plan is gender neutral and completely inclusive. Paternity leave matches maternity leave, and workers who adopt children are guaranteed the same benefits as biological parents.
Pexels
At this time, America lags behind other developed nations in a major way. Under the Family Medical Leave Act, employees are only entitled to 12 weeks of unpaid leave — which means that taking time off is not an option for workers who don’t bring home a considerably high salary.
With no federal mandate in sight, it’s up to individual companies to step up and offer paid leave. According to a 2014 report from the Bureau of Labor, only 13 percent of American workers had guaranteed paid time off after the birth of a child. Companies ought to take note of Ikea’s example and offer a similar plan to their employees at all levels, from corporate to the sales floor.
Trump won’t help working parents, but companies can take matters into their own hands and provide employees with the same rights that are given to workers in other developed nations.

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Every Company Should Copy IKEA's New Parental Leave Policy

Dec 6, 2016 | attn:

By Laura Donovan

IKEA US is expanding parental leave for long-term employees, announcing on Tuesday that new parents could take off as many as four months off work with full pay.
The company will provide the expanded parental leave to salaried and hourly workers, including fathers, mothers, and both adoptive and foster parents, who have been with the company for more than three years, according to an IKEA US release:
"Co-workers who have been with IKEA for more than one year can take up to three months of paid leave to be with their family, receiving 100% of their base wage for the first six weeks of parental leave and 50% for an additional six weeks. Co-workers with three or more years’ tenure can take up to four months of paid leave, receiving 100% of their base wage for the first eight weeks and 50% for an additional eight weeks. This is in addition to the six to eight weeks of Short Term Disability available to all co-workers regardless of tenure."
Lars Petersson, IKEA US President, said in a statement that this will give IKEA workers "the opportunity to spend more time with their families when welcoming a child."
"Our co-workers are our most important resource, which is why we continue to invest in helping them reach their dream," Petersson said.
IKEA competitor Walmart, by contrast, only provides salaried workers 90 days of paid maternity leave and and only two weeks of paternity or adoption leave, according to a Forbes report.As ATTN: has noted before, America's parental leave policy leaves a lot to be desired.
A Pew Research Center report from September 2016 points out that the U.S. is the only country on a list of 41 developed nations that doesn't mandate any paid time off for parental leave:
The U.S. guarantees workers precisely zero weeks of paid parental leave. Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), people who have worked at a company with at least 50 employees for a minimum of a year are guaranteed 12 weeks of unpaid parental leave. Fathers can face their own set of challenges with taking paternity leave, including a stigma for prioritizing family, as ATTN: previously noted.
"There's still a stigma associated with men who put parenting on an equal footing with their jobs," Scott Coltrane, a sociologist at the University of Oregon, told The Wall Street Journal in June 2013. "Most employers still assume that work comes first for men, while women do all the child care."
Research published in The American Economic Review in 2014 found that men are more likely to take paternity leave when male colleagues, managers, and family members take it as well. When Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced he was taking two months off to spend time with his new baby in November 2015, he received some praise for combating the stigma others face.
ATTN: recently partnered with "Catfish" host Nev Schulman and his fiance Laura Perlongo on a video about the importance for paternity leave, and the need to ensure new mothers aren't the only ones expected to take care of their children:
"Globally, moms get an average of 106 days of paid leave for a new baby, while dads only get an average of seven," Schulman said in the video above. "That's just one week."

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Ikea Puts Employees First and Offers Extended Paid Parental Leave

Dec 6, 2016 | PJ Media

By LAUREN SPAGNOLETTI

In a move that is on par with some big tech companies, including Netflix, Ikea just announced that it is expanding the paid parental leave it offers its employees. The furniture chain will now allow up to four months of paid time off for its 13,000 US employees after the birth or adoption of a child.
While federal law only requires unpaid leave for new parents, many large companies are taking steps to retain quality workers. High turnover can result after the birth of a child, and it has been shown that employees tend to stay with a company (and provide better service) when they feel they are taken care of - especially after a new child is welcomed into the family.
NBC News reports:
Effective Jan. 1, the policy will apply to mothers and fathers who are birth, adoptive or foster parents. Ikea had previously given women giving birth five days of paid leave in addition to six to eight weeks of paid disability leave.
Ikea's move, part of its drive to improve its relations with workers, follows pay increases in the past two years that brought the average minimum hourly wage to $11.87. With unemployment at a nine-year low, many companies are trying to retain workers.
The United States lags far behind other countries around the world that offer some kind of paid leave for new parents. But it is possible that more and more companies, like Ikea, Netflix and Target, will begin take the initiative in the absence of legislation:
Netflix announced last year it was giving parents "unlimited" paid leave for up to a year following the birth or adoption of a child, meaning they can take as much or as little as they would like.
Target also expanded its plan, and salaried and hourly employees who average 20 plus hours a week and have one year of service can now get two weeks of paid leave. It applies to employees who are giving birth, their partners, those who are adopting or becoming parents via surrogacy, and foster parents.
While paid family leave has become a political issue, these companies show that some businesses will offer this benefit with or without legal requirements, to put the families of their employees first.

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Ikea to expand parental leave to all employees, including hourly workers

Dec 6, 2016 | Retail Dive

By Daphne Howland

Dive Brief:
Swedish furniture retailer Ikea’s U.S. unit said Tuesday that it’s expanding its parental leave policy to include salaried and hourly workers, effective New Year’s Day.
The policy will provide up to four months of paid parental leave to new mothers and fathers, including adoptive and foster parents.
Ikea is also introducing a sabbatical program for workers without children, allowing them to take time off for “personal and professional growth and development.”Dive Insight:
Ikea's leave packages vary according to hours worked and how long workers have been with the company: Those who’ve worked there for more than one year can take up to three months of paid leave and receive 100% of their base wage for the first six weeks and 50% for an additional six weeks. Those with three or more years' tenure can take up to four months of paid leave, receiving 100% of their base wage for the first eight weeks and 50% for an additional eight weeks. That’s in addition to the six to eight weeks of short term disability available to all workers regardless of tenure, the company said.
The new policy still doesn’t approach the even more expansive parental leave packages at Ikea’s European operations, but like Ikea’s minimum wage calculator, it's generous by U.S. standards.
"At Ikea, we believe time with family and friends is so important for a healthy work-life balance and a happy and productive workforce," Ikea U.S. President Lars Petersson said in a statement. "This benefit, which applies to all parents, will give our co-workers the opportunity to spend more time with their families when welcoming a child. Our co-workers are our most important resource, which is why we continue to invest in helping them reach their dream."
Ikea's approach is even more notable given that hourly workers in the U.S. in particular are often unlikely to receive such benefits, despite a trend at many companies to expand paid leave for longer periods, to include adoptions and to accommodate new dads — benefits normally reserved for salaried workers in professional positions.
In all, just 13% of U.S. workers enjoy paid family leave, according to 2014 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics cited by Fortune magazine, which noted that while 21% of the highest quartile of workers enjoy the benefit, just 5% of workers in the lowest quartile do.
Moves like Ikea’s reflect an economy that is finally seeing employment and wages rise and solidify. In addition to those pressures, retailers like Ikea, Costco, and Amazon that view their workers as an investment rather than a cost to be minimized are most likely to beat minimum wage and benefits requirements, experts say. Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher and retail expert Zeynep Ton, who studied Costco, Trader Joe’s, QuikTrip (a U.S. chain of convenience stores with gas stations) and Mercadona (Spain’s largest supermarket chain), says those chains enjoy “high productivity, great customer service, healthy growth, and excellent returns to their investors.”

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Home furnishings giant in big expansion of parental leave

Dec 6, 2016 | Chain Store Age

By MARIANNE WILSON

In a move that is likely to help it attract new talent — and hold on to existing employees — Ikea U.S. has announced one of the most generous and inclusive parental leave programs in the U.S. retail industry.
Effective Jan. 1, Ikea will provide all its 13,000 U.S. salaried and hourly employees who are expanding their families — including mothers, fathers and adoptive and foster parents — with up to four months of paid parental leave.
Ikea’s new program, which follows expanded leave programs that have taken hold with tech companies like Netflix, is particularly noteworthy in that it applies not only to the chain’s salaried employees, but its hourly workers as well.
Ikea had previously new moms five days of paid leave in addition to six to eight weeks of paid disability leave. Under the new program, employees with three or more years' tenure at Ikea can take up to four months of paid leave, receiving 100% of their base wage for the first eight weeks and 50% for an additional eight weeks.
Employees who have worked at Ikea for at least one year can take up to three months of paid leave to be with their family, receiving 100% of their base wage for the first six weeks of parental leave and 50% for an additional six weeks.
Workers will still be eligible for short-term disability under the new program.
Ikea said its expanded policy was introduced to ensure co-workers have the opportunity to bond with their children and connect as a new family.
"This benefit, which applies to all parents, will give our co-workers the opportunity to spend more time with their families when welcoming a child,” said Lars Petersson, president, Ikea U.S. “Our co-workers are our most important resource, which is why we continue to invest in helping them reach their dream."
In addition, Ikea also introducing a sabbatical program for co-workers to take time “to refresh and engage in personal and professional growth and development.”

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Ikea U.S. to Expand Parental Leave Policy

Dec 6, 2016 | HFN

By Andrea Lillo

As of January 1, 2017, Ikea U.S. will offer a new parental leave policy for both salaried and hourly employees who are expanding their families, providing up to four months of paid leave.
This includes both mothers and fathers, and adoptive and foster parents.
Co-workers who have been with Ikea for one to three years can take up to three months of paid leave to be with their family, receiving 100 percent of their base wage for the first six weeks of parental leave and 50 percent for an additional six weeks. Co-workers with three or more years’ tenure can take up to four months of paid leave, receiving 100 percent of their base wage for the first eight weeks and 50 percent for an additional eight weeks. This is in addition to the six to eight weeks of Short Term Disability available to all co-workers regardless of tenure.
“We believe time with family and friends is so important for a healthy work-life balance and a happy and productive workforce,” said Lars Petersson, Ikea U.S.’s president. “This benefit, which applies to all parents, will give our co-workers the opportunity to spend more time with their families when welcoming a child. Our co-workers are our most important resource, which is why we continue to invest in helping them reach their dream.”
Ikea recently conducted research into what co-workers thought were the most important aspects of the “American Dream,” and topping the list was work-life balance and moments spent with family and friends.
Ikea U.S. is also introducing a sabbatical program for co-workers to take time to refresh and engage in personal and professional growth and development, as it recognizes that co-workers who are not welcoming a child into their families may need time away from work as well.

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Ikea Announces 4 Months Paid Parental Leave for All U.S. Employees

Dec 6, 2016 | Glassdoor

By Amy Elisa Jackson

Swedish meatballs. Chic yet inexpensive furniture. The Billy bookcase.
Americans have long loved Ikea and its maze of home decor and unexpected delights. Now, there’s another reason to love the blue and yellow flat-pack furniture mecca. Ikea announced Tuesday that it will offer its 13,000 salaried and hourly employees in the U.S. up to four months of paid parental leave.
This is an impressive move for the retail world, as tech companies like Netflix and Facebook have paved the way for more robust parental leave policies. At Ikea, all employees, both salaried and hourly workers who become new parents will be eligible for up to four months of paid or partially paid time off after meeting certain tenure requirements.
According to reports, Ikea had previously pregnant women five days of paid leave in addition to six to eight weeks of paid disability leave. However, with this new announcement effective Jan. 1, the policy will apply to mothers and fathers who are birth, adoptive or foster parents.
In addition to being a huge win for employees, this move by Ikea also reflects today’s job market. With unemployment at a nine-year low, many companies are trying to retain workers. November’s strong jobs report showed the economy added 178,000 new jobs, bringing the unemployment rate down sharply to 4.6 percent—the lowest rate since August 2007. November’s report marks 74 straight months of positive job gains, the longest streak on record.
Furthermore, Ikea’s policy change is a part of its initiative to foster better relations with employees. Over the past two years, Ikea has reportedly increased pay consistently and has brought the average minimum hourly wage to $11.87. No wonder employees give Ikea a 3.9 overall company rating on Glassdoor, and 92% of their workforce approves of CEO Peter Agnefjall.
“Grattis” to the Swedes for showing the U.S. retail industry how it’s done!

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IKEA to Give All US Employees Paid Parental Leave

Dec 6, 2016 | Makers

Starting January 1, all of IKEA's 14,000 salaried and hourly workers in the U.S. will receive up to four months of paid parental leave. The policy applies to all mothers and fathers who are birth, adoptive, or foster parents.
According to Fortune, the new program expands on IKEA's previous policy that gave fives days of paid leave to new parents, plus up to eight weeks of paid disability leave for new moms.
In the new year, employees who've worked at IKEA for at least one year will receive full base pay for the first six weeks of their leave and half of their base pay for six more weeks. Workers who've been with IKEA for three or more years can receive eight weeks of full pay and eight weeks of half pay.
And regardless of their tenure, workers will receive a guaranteed six to eight weeks of short-term disability.
The U.S. is still the only industrialized nation to not give paid time off for new moms or dads. In a fact sheet on the policy, IKEA said this new change reflects their "Swedish roots and vision to create a better everyday life for all people."

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Ikea to offer expanded parental leave in stronger job market

Dec 6, 2016 | Le Globaliste

Employees who have been with the company for more than three years receive 100 percent of their wages for the first eight weeks and 50 percent for the second eight weeks, which gives them 4 months of paid leave.
Netflix recently improved its parental leave policy to allow workers to take up to a year of paid leave after welcoming a child. Workers will still be eligible for short-term disability under the new system. Under the new program, which goes into effect January 1, employees with at least one year of tenure will receive their full base pay for the first six weeks of leave, and half of their base pay for an additional six weeks.
1, Ikea's 13,000 salaried and hourly workers in the US will receive up to four months of paid parental leave.
The policy expands to all salaried and hourly employees working at any of the IKEA locations in the United States.
Unlike other developed nations, the USA does not have a law guaranteeing at least some paid family leave for workers. Katie Bethell, executive director of PLUS, a nonprofit advocacy group for paid family leave, says their research shows that while some national retailers offer six to eight weeks of paid leave for new birth mothers, "it's really a step forward to be extending that kind of leave to dads and adoptive parents", Bethell said.
That's set to change in January when the flat-pack furniture mecca will begin offering a much broader and longer paid time off policy for all of its US employees.
It is the latest push by the Swedish company to improve worker conditions in the U.S., one of the few thriving countries in the world where there is no nationwide law to support paid parental leave. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton had proposed 12 weeks of paid family leave, while Donald Trump advocated for a 6-week maternity leave policy.
For instance, when Netflix launched a policy that gave salaried workers in its Internet video service division up to a year of parental leave with full pay, the program did not apply to hourly workers in the company's DVD distribution unit.
'We want them to take time off.
During the election talk heated up about paid family leave. Federal law requires only unpaid leave for the birth or adoption of a child. Ixtabalan said "a lot of businesses would agree we have to be ahead of those legislative approaches", but noted "that's not driving our decision-making". IKEA has other locations in IL and Ohio. It also announced Tuesday it would institute an unpaid sabbatical for long-term employees. "It may have unintended consequences for low-wage or hourly employees", Bethell says. They'll collect their full pay for the first six weeks, and 50 percent of their pay for the second six weeks. Ixtabalan says Ikea considered that issue when designing the perk and lets workers supplement the partial pay period with accrued sick or vacation days.

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IKEA To Gives Employees Up To 4 Months Paid Parental Leave

Dec 6, 2016 | CBS Philly

IKEA US is expanding their parental leave policy, giving their employees up to four months of paid parental leave when they welcome a new child into their family.
According to the company website, IKEA US currently offers new parents one week of paid maternity/paternity leave for the birth or adoption of a child.
IKEA came up with the policy after doing research on what workers believed were the most important aspects of the the “American Dream.” Work-life balance and family time were at the top of the list.ADVERTISING
Birth mothers and fathers, as well as adoptive and foster parents will all be able to take advantage of the benefit.
The new policy will take effect Jan. 1, 2017 and will apply to both hourly and salaried workers.
Employees who have been with IKEA for more than one year can take up to three months of paid leave when they are expanding their family — receiving full pay for the first six weeks and half of their pay for an additional six weeks.
Employees who have been at the company for three or more years are eligible to take up to four months — receiving full pay for the first eight weeks and half of their pay for an additional eight weeks.
And for those employees who aren’t expecting or adopting a child, IKEA is also rolling out a sabbatical program to allow their workers to “take time to refresh and engage in personal and professional growth and development.”

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IKEA will soon offer up to four months’ paid parental leave to U.S. employees — including hourly workers

Dec 6, 2016 | NY Daily News

By MEERA JAGANNATHAN

IKEA is ready to assemble some very generous employee perks.
The Swedish home goods purveyor proclaimed Tuesday that all hourly and salaried U.S. workers would enjoy up to four months’ paid parental leave starting Jan. 1 — a major upgrade from the five days it currently offers.
Employees with more than one year under their belt may take up to three months’ leave, earning full pay for the first six weeks and half pay for another six. Those who have worked at IKEA three or more years can take up to four months, with eight weeks’ full pay and eight weeks’ half pay.IKEA will vastly expand its parental leave benefits, the company announced Tuesday.
The benefits apply to adoptive, birth and foster parents.
U.S. is way behind when it comes to parental leave policies
“We believe time with family and friends is so important for a healthy work-life balance and a happy and productive workforce,” IKEA U.S. President Lars Petersson said in a statement.Store employees stand at the grand opening of the new IKEA in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
As if expectant moms and dads weren’t already thanking their lucky stars, the company will also debut a sabbatical program allowing all its workers “time to refresh and engage in personal and professional growth and development.”
IKEA’s jazzed-up plan puts it on the map with Netflix, which last year rolled out unlimited paid parental leave during the first year after a birth or adoption, and Facebook, which offers four months of parental leave.
The new benefits package also puts IKEA one small step closer to its founding country, Sweden, where parents are entitled to an inconceivable 480 days of paid parental leave. Skål! (That’s Swedish for “Cheers!”)

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Ikea to offer longer paid parental leave to all employees

Dec 6, 2016 | NJ.com

By Rajeev Dhir

Ikea said it will offer U.S. employees who are new parents longer paid parental leave, according to a report from The Associated Press.
Starting Jan. 1, the policy will give new birth, adoptive and foster mothers and fathers four months of paid time off.
The company previously gave birth mothers five days of paid leave in addition to six to eight weeks of paid disability leave, the report said.
"We want them to take time off," Ikea's U.S. president Lars Petersson told The Associated Press. "The home is our arena. We think the home is the most important place for people."
Paid parental leave in the U.S. is still lagging behind other countries, according to The Associated Press. Federal law only requires unpaid leave for a child's birth or an adoption.Graphiq
The company's U.S. division also raised its minimum wage at existing stores this year from $10.76 to $11.87 per hour. The store said the increase was $4.62 above the federal minimum wage.
Ikea has two stores in New Jersey -- one in Elizabeth, the other in Paramus.

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Ohio IKEA to offer paid parental leave up to 4 months for both parents

Dec 6, 2016 | Dayton Daily News

By Kara Driscoll

IKEA U.S., which has a location in West Chester Twp., announced it will offer up to four months of paid parental leave for workers.
The new policy includes salaried and hourly workers, both mothers and fathers, and adoptive and foster parents, according to a company release. This expanded policy was introduced to “ensure co-workers have the opportunity to bond with their children and connect as a new family,” the company said.
The company policy is effective on Jan. 1. IKEA is the world’s largest retailer in the world, and has one store open in Ohio — located in West Chester Twp.
“At IKEA, we believe time with family and friends is so important for a healthy work-life balance and a happy and productive workforce,” said Lars Petersson, IKEA U.S. President.
RELATED: Construction on future IKEA store hits key milestones
Co-workers who have been with IKEA for more than one year can take up to three months of paid leave to be with their family, receiving 100 percent of their base wage for the first six weeks of parental leave and 50 percent for an additional six weeks.
Co-workers with three or more years at the company can take up to four months of paid leave, receiving 100 percent of their base wage for the first eight weeks and 50 percent for an additional eight weeks. This is in addition to the six to eight weeks of Short Term Disability available to all co-workers regardless of tenure, according to the release.
IKEA opened its first location in Ohio back in 2008 in West Chester Twp. Now, the furniture retailer is working on opening its second Ohio location in Columbus. The new Ikea property is approximately 15 miles north of downtown Columbus.
The company has locations in 48 countries, and has 42 in the U.S.

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IKEA expands paid parental leave to 4 months for US employees

Dec 6, 2016 | KIRO

IKEA US announced on Tuesday that effective January 1, 2017 it will offer a new parental leave policy for workers who are expanding their families, providing up to four months of paid parental leave.
This includes salaried and hourly workers, both mothers and fathers, and adoptive and foster parents. This expanded policy was introduced to ensure co-workers have the opportunity to bond with their children and connect as a new family.
“At IKEA, we believe time with family and friends is so important for a healthy work-life balance and a happy and productive workforce.” said Lars Petersson, IKEA US President. “This benefit, which applies to all parents, will give our co-workers the opportunity to spend more time with their families when welcoming a child. Our co-workers are our most important resource, which is why we continue to invest in helping them reach their dream.”
CNN writes that the change in policy comes as other companies adjust their paternal leave policies in an effort to modernize workers' benefits and increase employee retention. Last year, Netflix began offering parents "unlimited" paid leave for a year. Other tech companies like Adobe and Microsoft have also adjusted their parental benefits.

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IKEA expands parental leave to 4 months

Dec 6, 2016 | KTNV (ABC)

By Rebecca Lewis

IKEA is significantly expanding its paid parental leave for U.S. employees.
The home furniture store says starting Jan. 1, workers can get up to four months paid parental leave.
Under the current system, IKEA parents are eligible for 5 days of paid leave in addition to 6-8 weeks of paid disability leave.
The retailer says new parental leave benefits will apply to birth mothers and fathers, as well as adoptive and foster parents.

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IKEA offers 4 months parental leave for mothers, fathers

Dec 6, 2016 | WMC Action News 5

They are one of Memphis' newest and largest employers. Now, IKEA is announcing a new benefit for new mothers and fathers. The announcement comes even before the store's doors are open to the public.
As workers are finishing up, preparing for customers, and putting the final touches on the IKEA in Memphis, the company is making a huge announcement.
IKEA said it will be offering longer parental leave for new parents who work for them. Parents can receive up to four months of leave beginning January 1, 2017.
The leave applies to biological mothers and fathers and also adopted and foster parents.
IKEA Memphis is set to open its doors to the public next week.

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Hundreds of IKEA St. Louis employees will be eligible for extra parental leave

Dec 6, 2016 | Belleville News-Democrat

By http://www.bnd.com/news/local/article119258233.html

Nearly 79 percent of employees at the St. Louis IKEA home furnishings store will be eligible for extended paid parental leave on the first of the year, according to a company spokesperson.
The Scandinavian company known for its ready-to-assemble furniture announced Tuesday it would offer up to four months of paid leave for all new parents, both salaried and hourly, working in its U.S. stores. The American division employs 13,000 individuals, according to the Associated Press.
Out of 261 total employees at the St. Louis store, 205 will qualify for the new benefits, or 78.5 percent, said spokesperson Lissa Johnson.
“As a co-worker who has been with the St. Louis store for over a year now, I’m very excited about this new policy and that IKEA is taking a step in the right direction,” Johnson said, adding that she, herself, will be able to benefit from the new policy.
The St. Louis 380,000 square-foot store opened in late September 2015 to much fanfare. The first U.S. store opened in 1985 in Philadelphia, more than 40 years after the first store opened in Sweden. Today, there are 51 stores in North America and 315 worldwide with 147,000 employees.
IKEA U.S. President Lars Petersson said the move is aimed at giving its workers more time with family and friends. The new policy applies to mothers, fathers, and adoptive and foster parents.
“This benefit, which applies to all parents, will give our co-workers the opportunity to spend more time with their families when welcoming a child. Our co-workers are our most important resource, which is why we continue to invest in helping them reach their dream,” Petersson said it a prepared statement.
The announcement comes a year after the company initially raised its hourly minimum wage to an average $11.87, the Associated Press reported.
Beer giant Anheuser-Busch also expanded its parental leave policy earlier this year, offering salaried full-time employees up to 16 weeks of paid leave and two weeks to the secondary caregiver, St. Louis television station KMOV reported in April.
IKEA workers with more than a year under their belt are eligible to take up to three months of paid leave with 100 percent of their base salary paid for the first six weeks and 50 percent for an additional six weeks, according to a news release. Workers employed for more than three years can take up to four months of leave with 100 percent of pay for the first eight weeks and 50 percent for the additional eight weeks.
The company will also offer a sabbatical program for employees who want time to “refresh and engage in personal and professional growth and development.”
Online streaming site Netflix and retail store Target also introduced expanded parental leave programs for their employees, according to the Associated Press.

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/news/local/article119258233.html#storylink=cpy

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Ikea significantly expanding paid parental leave

Dec 6, 2016 | The Villages Suntimes

By Max Garcia

Google, which is regularly regarded among the best companies to work for, offers staff 18 weeks of paid parental leave and a further 12 weeks of "baby bonding" to take before a child's first birthday.
Good news for expecting parents who work at IKEA, the Swedish retailer is updating its parental leave policy to give all workers up to four months of paid leave following the birth of their children.
Until now, IKEA gave five days of paid time off for new parents along with disability-related pay for birth mothers of up to eight weeks. It applies to salaried and hourly workers.
Lars Petersson, president of Ikea's USA division, told The Associated Press the parental leave expansion will give employees a better feeling about the workplace and will mean better service to customers. But it still falls shorts of the 68 weeks of paid leave new parents at Ikea receive in the company's home country of Sweden, where the government subsidizes workers' time off. The home is our arena. "Our co-workers are our most important resource, which is why we continue to invest in helping them reach their dream".
The plan gives Ikea employees of more than a year up to three months of paid leave, at full base wage for the first six weeks and 50 percent after that. They will receive full pay for the first eight weeks and half pay for the remainder.
Apart from parental leave, Ikea is offering an unpaid sabbatical for all employees, including part-time workers, based on tenure, for up to a year. According to a 2016 report from the Society for Human Resource Management, only 26% of USA employers offer any paid maternity leave beyond what is covered by state law or short-term disability plans, while 21% offer paid paternity leave.
Only 13% of workers in the US have paid family leave, according to 2014 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and access to the benefit falls starkly along income lines.
In introducing the expanded benefits, Ikea follows other USA companies like Netflix, Adobe, and Etsy that have rolled out generous packages for new parents in a effort to recruit and keep top talent.
Make it your business.
Still, "these companies don't represent what's happening in the USA labor market", said Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute, a nonprofit research group.

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IKEA makes moves with its parental leave policy

Dec 6, 2016 | HBS Dealer

IKEA US is hearkening back to its Scandinavian roots with a change to its parental leave policy for the new year.
Effective January 1, 2017, salaried and hourly workers will be entitled to up to four months of paid parental leave -- including mothers, fathers, adoptive, and foster parents.
"At IKEA, we believe time with family and friends is so important for a healthy work-life balance and a happy and productive workforce," said Lars Petersson, IKEA US President. "This benefit, which applies to all parents, will give our co-workers the opportunity to spend more time with their families when welcoming a child. Our co-workers are our most important resource, which is why we continue to invest in helping them reach their dream."
The benefit will work on a sliding scale, however. Workers who have been with the company for more than one year can take up to three months of paid leave, receiving 100% of their base wage for the first 6 weeks, and 50% for the next 6 weeks.
Those with three years or more tenure can take up to four months, receiving 100% of their wages for the first 8 weeks, and 50% for the remaining 8 weeks.
Additionally, IKEA US is expanding benefits for other workers too. Employees will also have the option to take a sabbatical for personal and professional development.
The decision came after IKEA conducted research into what co-workers thought were the most important aspects of the American Dream. Work-life balance and time spent with family and friends were both on the top of the list.

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Brand News: Honda AI Car, NFL Players, Tech Vs. Terrorism and More

Dec 7, 2016 | brandchannel

By Shirley Brady

Honda plans to bring NeuV AI-powered electric car concept with its “own emotions” to CES.View image on Twitter FollowHonda ✔@Honda
This is the first look at the NueV, part of a cooperative mobility ecosystem Honda will unveil at CES. http://honda.us/iGk 1:00 PM - 5 Dec 2016 9191 Retweets 167167 likes
The NFL Players Association is launching an accelerator (with Inteland Harvard) to trade licensing rights to Tom Brady and other players for equity in startups.
Facebook, Google, Twitter and Microsoft join forces to fight spread of terrorist content.
Amazon introduces Buttoned Down private menswear label to Amazon Prime.
Apple is optimistic about Apple Watch; confirms iPhone 6s battery problem; and releases latest ad —”Romeo and Juliet” — to put iPhone 7 Plus camera in focus (see more new ad campaigns below):
Baked By Melissa adds mini muffins to the menu.
BlackRock hires former BuzzFeed and PepsiCo CMO Frank Cooper.
Blippar enhances augmented reality with facial recognition.
Burberry reportedly turns down takeover offers by Coach.
Coop Italia opens ‘supermarket of the future‘ in Italy.
General Mills CMO Ann Simonds is departing as part of global restructuring.
GoDaddy expands in Europe (and the cloud) with key acquisition.
Google meets its global renewable energy goal.
IBM adds cybersecurity to Watson‘s bailiwick with new offering.
IKEA expands parental leave benefits in the US.
JetBlue integrates Amazon in-flight shopping to loyalty program.
Korea‘s chaebol (leading companies) executives testify in presidential inquiry.
LEGO names its first non-Swede by elevating British COO Bali Padda to CEO.
The Limited is reportedly on the verge of closing its stores as Searsstruggles continue.
Magna Global projects downturn in global ad spending.
Microsoft releases a new chatbot, Zo.
The New York Times sees subscriptions soar on Trump coverage.
NHL and Dunkin’ Donuts ink a multi-year sponsorship deal.
Oreo launches personalized holiday gifting website.
Spotify, Audible and Zendesk CMOs share glocalization strategies.
Twitter‘s 10 buzziest global topics of 2016 are led by the Olympics.
Uber buys an artificial intelligence startup and launches Uber AI Labs.
Under Armour‘s MLB deal will add its logo to uniforms starting in 2020.
United eliminates in-cabin free overhead luggage storage.
Walmart tests free grocery pick-up at new convenience store format.
Wayfair introduces augmented reality visualization with new mobile app.
Whole Foods Market releases 2017 food trends.
CAMPAIGNS:
Allegro, a Polish online marketplace, pulls at heartstrings with this holiday ad:
Foot Locker promotes Kids Foot Locker with Kyrie Irving:
Huawei promotes quick charging and camera quality in holiday campaign:
Macy’s launches The Santa Project to “curtail Internet cynicism” —
Samsung‘s holiday spot (The Netherlands):
UNICEF launches child safety campaign with David Beckham:
The White House launches augmented reality app:

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Business briefs: Productivity growth hits best level in 2 years

Dec 6, 2016 | Trib Live

PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH HITS BEST LEVEL IN 2 YEARS
The productivity of American workers rose in the July-September quarter at the fastest pace in two years while labor costs slowed after a big jump in the spring.
Productivity increased in the third quarter at a 3.1 percent rate, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. That followed three quarterly declines and was the best showing since a 4.2 percent increase in the third quarter of 2014. Labor costs edged up at a 0.7 percent rate in the third quarter following a much faster 6.2 percent jump in the second quarter. The productivity figure was unchanged from an initial estimate a month ago while the 0.7 percent rise in unit labor costs was slightly higher than an initial estimate of a 0.3 percent gain.
MYLAN AIMS TO TRIM GLOBAL WORKFORCE
Mylan Pharmaceuticals plans to trim less than 10 percent of its global workforce, including several non-union positions, the company confirmed Monday.
Reports of the Southpointe-based generic pharmaceutical giant's cutbacks first surfaced Monday afternoon in a report from West Virginia Radio Corp.'s online site that Mylan employees learned of the cutbacks during a conference call.‌ Some of the reductions reportedly affect facilities in Morgantown, W.Va., Washington, D.C., St. Albans City, Vt., and Greensboro, N.C.
Mylan has sparked controversy over the price for its emergency allergy injection EpiPen. The drugmaker previously reached a $465 million settlement with the Justice Department over the company's reimbursements for the EpiPen.
GOOGLE HITS GOAL FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY
Google says that beginning next year, it believes it will have amassed enough renewable energy to meet all of its electricity needs throughout the world.
That's significant, given Google's ravenous appetite for electricity to power its offices and the huge data centers that process requests for its services.
That doesn't mean Google will be able to power its operations solely on wind and solar power. That is impossible given the complicated power grids and regulations. But it might be in a position to offset every megawatt hour of electricity supplied by a power plant running on fossil fuels with renewable energy.
IKEA EXPANDS PARENTAL LEAVE FOR U.S. WORKERS
Ikea's U.S. division is offering longer parental leave to employees who are new parents, following similar overtures from tech companies such as Netflix as it strives to keep good workers in an improving job market.
The ready-to-assemble furniture chain said Tuesday it will offer its 13,000 salaried and hourly employees in the United States up to four months of paid parental leave. Effective Jan. 1, the policy will apply to mothers and fathers who are birth, adoptive or foster parents.
Ikea had previously given women giving birth five days of paid leave in addition to six to eight weeks of paid disability leave.

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4 Things To Know: Grammy Nominations, Oprah & More

Dec 6, 2016 | CBS Minnesota

These are the four stories you need to know about from Tuesday, Dec. 6. They include a few Grammy nominations with Minnesota connections, and a significant transfer of land.
Japan To Receive 10K Acres Of U.S. Land
The United States will give back nearly 10,000 acres of land to Japan. Defense Secretary Ash Carter says the land on Okinawa will be given back by the end of this month. The land is used by U.S. Marines for jungle warfare training. He made the announcement during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Just yesterday, the prime minister said he would visit Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Tomorrow marks 75 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Grammy Nominations Announced
The nominations for the 2017 Grammy Awards have been announced, and as expected it’s going to be Adele versus Beyonce right down the line. Both received nominations for best album of the year, and their respective singles “Hello” and “Formation” were both nominated for best record of the year and best song of the year. Among Minnesota-connected nominations, R&B group KING (which includes twins and Minneapolitans Amber and Paris Strother) were nominated alongside Beyonce and Rihanna in best urban contemporary album. Also, The Okee Dokee brothers were nominated for best children’s album, and Prince’s final studio album “Hit N Run Phase Two” was nominated for best engineered album, non-classical.
Ikea Extending Parental Benefits
New parents working for Ikea in the U.S. will soon get longer parental leave. About 12,000 salaried and hourly employees will get up to four months of paid leave. The policy will apply to mothers and fathers who are birth, adoptive or foster parents staring Jan. 1. Previously, Ikea gave women giving birth five days of paid leave in addition to six to eight weeks of paid disability leave.
Oprah To Interview Outgoing First Lady
Oprah Winfrey will conduct Michelle Obama’s final one-on-one interview during her husband’s presidency. The interview will air with the title “First Lady Michelle Obama Says Farewell to the White House.” Winfrey will talk to Obama about her eight years as first lady, her accomplishments in the White House and plans for the future. The interview will air on WCCO Dec. 19.

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