Google bumps up vacation days and parental leaves

By Paresh Dave

(Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s Google on Thursday increased the amount of time employees around the world can take off for vacation or caring for newborns and seriously ill loved ones.

Google has long been known as a global trailblazer in workplace benefits. But unlike many companies in Silicon Valley, it does not offer unlimited paid time off. Employees also have grown frustrated during the pandemic about long work hours, without being able to enjoy free meals and other Google office perks.

Employees will now receive a minimum of 20 paid vacation days annually, up from 15 days.

Google’s chief people officer, Fiona Cicconi, said in a statement that the increased leave aims “to support our employees at every stage of their lives and that means providing extraordinary benefits.”

Google said parents who give birth can take up to 24 weeks off compared with 18 previously. All other parents will have up to 18 weeks of leave, up from 12.

It also will double carer’s leave to look after seriously ill loved ones to eight weeks.

(Reporting by Paresh Dave; Editing by Leslie Adler)