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Parental Leave Policy

Overview​

If you’re reading this for the first time as you’ve just found out you’re going to become a parent (either for the first time, or again!), the first thing we want to say is congratulations!

The balena parental leave policy is designed to give parents who are expecting a new addition to their family the support and flexibility to help them adjust to their exciting new situation, and spend time with their child.

During parental leave, you can have peace of mind that you will remain an integral part of the balena team and that we’ll be on hand to help out in any way we can.

As a globally distributed team, we believe that there isn’t a “one size fits all” solution when it comes to welcoming a new child, and are happy to discuss each individual’s circumstances to adapt your parental leave to what supports you best. We don’t work in a traditional 9-5 office environment, and it’s important our policy reflects this. We also encourage you to remember we are flexible with working hours, and understand that during your first few months of welcoming a new arrival, you might be less responsive at times while you’re working.

Policy​

Details​

  • Parental leave is available to all new parents, regardless of gender, and applies to birth, surrogacy, fostering and adoption.

  • All team members who are expecting a child will be granted 12 weeks (60 days) paid parental leave. The parental leave bank will be added to your Calamari account one month before the due date and according to the plan agreed with People-ops.

  • There is no obligation to take parental leave in one single block and you can use parental leave before or after the arrival of your child. These 60 days can also be used to reduce working hours per day, to take half days or half weeks before or after the arrival of your child; we are offering complete flexibility.

  • You can take these days whenever you see it being the most beneficial for your family. Note that your parental leave days will expire within 2 years from the due date, after which the remaining days are forfeit.

  • If 12 weeks isn’t enough time, we’re happy to offer up to another 12 weeks of unpaid leave to provide you with additional time to support your transition back to work.

  • Before starting parental leave, you will be appointed a “buddy” from the People-ops team, who you will be able to check in with, give updates to if you are expecting to take more time off, and will help you transition back to work after a significant amount of time off.

  • You will have the right to return to the same role at balena after returning from parental leave.

  • If there is any additional local legislation for employees that is not covered by the balena policy, we will of course honor that. More information on relevant local legislation for balena employees can be found in Appendix A below.

  • Any pre or postnatal appointments should be accommodated by balena's flexible schedule, but you can also take a sick and emergency leave day if it will take up half a day or more.

  • Team members are responsible for communicating their parental leave with the rest of the team in advance. The general rule is to give as much advance notice as the time you will be taking off.

  • Team members should ensure that there is a plan for adequate coverage while they are off.

Applying for parental leave​

When you find out you are expecting, you should communicate this with a member of People-ops as soon as possible. Together, we can work out the specifics of your leave. Within a call we will discuss any local legislations which may apply, take a note of when you plan to take some time off, when and how you will communicate this to the team and any specific coverage you might need, especially if you are going to be away for more than a couple of weeks. People-ops will be your point of contact before you take any leave and can answer any questions or doubts you may have.

Buddies for parental leave​

The buddying system is designed to act as added support and is meant to be an extra resource to make your time off and transition back to work as smooth as possible for you and your teammates. The buddy support can be as structured or flexible as you like to suit your needs and your preferences.

Appendix A:​

Local parental leave requirements not covered by the balena policy​

UK New mothers in the UK are entitled to up to 52 weeks maternity leave- 26 weeks ‘Ordinary Maternity Leave’ and 26 weeks additional maternity leave. This is paid at the statutory maternity leave rate for up to 39 weeks, and then unpaid. Full information can be found here.

Greece New mothers in Greece are entitled to 119 days maternity leave- 56 days before and 63 days after delivery. Full information can be found here.

Washington (US) New mothers in Washington State are entitled to up to 16 weeks medical and family leave. Full information can be found here

All Other states (US) The balena parental leave policy goes above all other state laws where we currently have US team members.