Spotify employees will now receive six months of fully paid leave when they become parents, according to a statement posted Thursday by the streaming music service.
Katarina Berg, Spotify's chief human resources officer, said the new policy applies to all employees in all countries. Founded in Sweden, Spotify has offices around the world, including in Mexico, Japan, Brazil, France and the United States.
"This policy best defines who we are as a company, born out of a Swedish culture that places an emphasis on a healthy work/family balance, gender equality and the ability for every parent to spend quality time with the people that matter most in their lives," Berg wrote.
Spotify is proud to #LeadOnLeave. Introducing: 100% paid parental leave for all employees—Learn more: https://t.co/dbbU3Xjoli— Spotify (@Spotify) November 19, 2015
Employees can split up their leave and take it at any point before their child's third birthday, and mothers and fathers are equally encouraged to use the benefit. When parents do return to work, the company will let them work from home on a part-time schedule with flexible hours for a one-month transition period.
Spotify is the latest tech giant to expand its paid parental leave policy. Amazon began offering paid leave to new fathers this month, Intel added paid "bonding leave" earlier this year, and in August, Netflix gave employees a year of paid parental leave.
Proud to be working @Spotify! As of today, *ALL* employees get 6 month 100% paid parental leave + 1 month flex return period. #LeadonLeave— Zofia Ciechowska (@zociechowska) November 19, 2015
The benefit seems sure to make an effective recruiting and retention tool in a highly competitive industry. It is particularly attractive to American workers, given that the U.S. is the only industrialized country that does not mandate paid leave for new parents.