The 50 Best Places to Work for New Dads: Patagonia

Fatherly‘s annual “Best Places To Work For New Dads” ranking tracks the progress of the 50 companies doing the most to help American fathers balance work and family life. Every company on our list offers exceptional benefits, including paid leave, access to child care subsidies or programs, and flexible time policies. Though the list changes every year, the overall trend among businesses actively engaging with the demand of fathers is positive. The average number of paid weeks off given to new fathers by companies on the list has, over the course of only two years, gone from four to 11, a 275 percent increase.

Naturally, many companies are appearing on this list for the third time. Corporations that are committed to helping parents tend to remain committed to helping parents. That’s good news for the employees of…

Patagonia

Patagonia goes out of its way to empower not only new parents, but parents with older children. Because the company prides itself on employing people who put passion first — and treat parenting as a passion — there is a cultural of flexibility and openness that has proven attractive for many SoCal professionals. Proof that efforts are paying off? Over the past five years, 100 percent of moms have returned to work for the company after maternity leave. Turnover for parents with kids in the on-site child care program is 25 percent lower than turnover in the general employee population, which is also unusually low.

• Headquarters: Ventura, CA
• Number of employees: 2,000
• Paid Parental Leave: 12 weeks
• Industry: Retail
• 2016 Rank: 4

Notable Father-Friendly Policies And Practices

• Expecting parents are given information from child development professionals and directed to benefits like dependent care FSA and child care stipends.
• Fathers can take their leave any time within the child’s first year. If business travel is required, traveling child care professionals are available to come along for the trip.
• The title of founder Yvon Chouinard’s memoir, Let My People Go Surfing, perfectly sums up the company’s work-life balance philosophy.

2017 Rank: 9

For more context and more information on the companies working to help fathers, check out the complete 50 Best Places to Work for New Dads ranking, a breakdown of this year’s stats, an explanation or Fatherly‘s methodology, the story of Patagonia’s new revolutionary child care program, and our deep dive on the state of the modern American paternity leave experience.