North Carolina's Duke University has enhanced its parental leave policy, offering working parents six weeks paid leave, effective from 3 August 2020.
This increase sees staff members across Duke, including graduate medical education house staff, parental leave allocation double. Since paid parental leave was introduced in 2003, employees have been able take three weeks leave for the birth or adoption of a child.
The enhanced benefit is also now open to both parents rather than just the primary caregiver, even if they are both employed by the university. The organisation has also lifted its three-week waiting period to ensure that working parents can have instant access to the leave.
For faculty members, the current three weeks paid leave will stay the same, although the employee will not have to be the primary parent to use the benefit. Employees covered under a union contract will need to speak with their representatives to see if they are eligible.
A spokesperson at Duke said: "Expanding the parental leave benefit is an important means of offering more support to our working parents as they adjust to the caring for their newborn or adopted child(ren). This expansion also reflects our healthy Duke commitment to support the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of our staff."
