Making the most of Adobe’s parental leave benefits

There are a number of amazing benefits to working at Adobe, but one that stands out for a number of our employees is our parental leave offering. Adobe provides 26 weeks paid parental leave for the primary caregiver and 16 weeks paid parental leave for the secondary caregiver — which can also be separated into two blocks of eight weeks.

According to the Grattan Institute, parental leave also brings significant benefits for fathers. When dads have more time to ‘flex their parenting muscle’ they tend to have better relationships and greater life satisfaction, while children also benefit from the increased parental investment and the diversity of their interactions in their early years.

Two of our employees in Australia who took secondary caregiver parental leave share their thoughts on their experiences and why more secondary caregivers should make use of this excellent Adobe benefit.

The parental leave experience

“With our roots in India, we’ve always seen grandparents support any new parents when a child is born. Sometimes, it goes beyond grandparents, and you have your extended family form a support system as you navigate the challenges of being a new parent. With international borders shut, our family was unable to travel to Sydney to support us as we transitioned into parenthood. Adobe’s parental leave policy was a lifesaver to us as I could take some time away from work to support my wife and son.

The most critical aspect that helped me with my decision to take parental leave was the support I received from my manager, my team, and business leaders. My experience taking the leave was wonderful as I didn’t have to constantly think about work at the back of my mind.” — Hasham Muhammed, senior HR business partner

“My parental leave experience was amazing. I decided not to use my leave straight away and waited until the summer since we were working from home most days during 2021. It was lucky I did, as we went back into lockdown when Harlee was around six weeks old.

I found the time away from work really re-energizing. Since Harlee was already a little older and we had gotten into a good routine, I didn’t feel like I was trying to figure things out on the run. We were able to plan out our days, make the most of her awake time and get out and about, despite all the rain.” — Michael Papandreas, APJ employment branding lead

A supportive culture for parents

“ The best part about my parental leave was the ability to break it into two halves at different times of the year. I took eight weeks off immediately after Mikhail was born and the additional eight weeks when he turned six months. During the second break, I travelled back to my home country after 2.5 years and introduced one of the newest family members. It was so good to see everyone!

Fathers taking parental leave is still seen as taboo in many cultures, but Adobe’s culture supports and encourages new parents to take that time to bond with their children. Hats-off to Adobe for truly believing in and garnering inclusivity on all fronts! “ — Hasham Muhammed

Being able to spend every day with my family was awesome! Not having to think about work, projects, deadlines, or anything like that and being able to focus all my attention on my family was perfect. My team was great too, ensuring that I did not need to come back in on anything. They helped cover my role while I was out. I never felt that there was an issue with me taking the time off. Everyone was very accepting and excited for me.

This is an awesome benefit that Adobe provides its employees who choose to start a family, and not every company offers it. Bonding with your baby is so important, and I was grateful to have that opportunity. Adobe is very accepting of parents, both primary and secondary, using the available benefits to them. — Michael Papandreas

Interested to know more about Adobe’s benefits? Check out our benefits page here.