One surprising element of the pandemic was that working remotely gave us a peek behind the curtain of our colleague’s lives. We saw their living rooms, kitchens and frenzy of activity in their households. We realized quickly that work and life were not separate blocks of time. We truly began to recognize what parents had already been feeling—they work two full-time jobs.
While the world has shifted back in many ways, it hasn’t changed MERGE’s perspective. We know nothing takes parents and caregivers off their A-game than when their child needs their attention, so it is critical we provide the tools and resources to allow caregivers the ability to focus on what’s most important to them from moment to moment.
As we remain hopeful that the pandemic will fade into history, we don’t want to close the doors we’ve opened to help caregivers feel successful at work and at home. In fact, we are continuing to strive to make MERGE a better place to work for our parents and caregivers with policies that support a variety of different family needs.
More Inclusive Parental Leave
Not all families look the same, so our leave policies support all types of families.
In 2021, MERGE updated our parental leave benefits to include extended paid time away for partners and adoptive parents and access to longer time away for all.
It doesn’t stop with parents. After all, it takes a village, right? That’s why MERGE also offers Grandparent Leave, a one-week paid benefit so that our grandparents can enjoy those extra cuddles, too.
Support During the Leave Process and Beyond
Preparing for Leave: Preparing to welcome a child into your family is hectic. MERGE’s Talent team guides you through going out and returning from leave. Not only will they walk you through the available benefits, but they will provide you with a comprehensive schedule so you know, week-to-week, what will be hitting your bank account. If your baby is napping, you can rest easy knowing that your full paycheck will be directly deposited based on our generous paid leave policy. You’ll also have access to our LinkedIn Learning course that covers how to best prepare for leave (as well as ways to prepare when you come back to work).
While you are away: Need more time away? We also offer an additional six weeks away unpaid; however, many states are offering paid leave benefits (including Massachusetts, California, and New York).
Preparing to return: In addition to our comprehensive LinkedIn Learning course, MERGE has created numerous other opportunities for our new parents. Employees can connect with other working parents and utilize their know-how through our amazing Mentorship Program and our Gender ERG. MERGE has an additional resource through our course titled, Parents Empowering Parents, led by our Chief Talent Officer that offers more tools on how to navigate this new role in life.
A Family-Friendly Culture
Flexible schedule? Check. Back-Up Daycare options? Check. MERGE-sponsored LEGO activities? We’ve got that too.
There is no shortage of things to do as a working parent. All employees are encouraged to partner with their manager on what works best. This includes blocking your calendar for school-pick up or tapping into our unlimited PTO, so you don’t have to stress about whether you can take your baby in for a pediatrician wellness visit in the morning AND see your child’s kindergarten play mid-afternoon. These are all important moments and MERGE’s benefits support you every step of the way.
For example, if daycare closed down or the nanny called in sick, MERGE has your back. We partner with Bright Horizons to offer back-up daycare options when that unexpected “no childcare” phone call comes in. Bright Horizons also offers tutoring and elder care services as well, all in an effort to offer resources that bring you peace of mind.
MERGE continues to invest in our working parents, offering parental leave planning, resource groups, and learning opportunities specifically for parents. We also leverage our LinkedIn Learning partnership to share resources and videos for your families—everything from museum tours to storytime for kids, just in case what you need the most is for them to be distracted for an hour.
Easy-to-Understand Benefits
Benefits can be confusing. Not only do we have a dedicated MERGE team to answer any questions you may have, but we also offer a semi-monthly open office hours session. Always feel free to drop by and ask whatever is on your mind.
If you’re interested in joining our MERGE family and benefits, drop by our careers page to apply for a role within our community.