AI clinical partner's parental leave offers more than time off

• Key insight: Learn how enhanced parental benefits are being used to attract and retain top tech talent.
• Expert quote: Thoughtful benefits help "build a team of sustained performance and longevity." - Nell Hardie
• Supporting data: 46% of employers now offer paid parental leave, up seven percentage points year-over-year.
  Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review

Forty-six percent of employers offer paid parental leave, up 7 percentage points from 2025, according to the Society of Human Resource Management — but a well-designed parental leave plan requires more than just days off. 

At clinical AI partner Heidi Health, employees can take up to 6 1/2 paid months of parental leave. The national average maternity leave is 10 weeks, which is often a combination of paid and unpaid time, according to Great Place to Work. In addition to the generous amount of time, Heidi has structured the months leading up to, during, and coming back from leave to ensure employees have seamless transitions and plenty of uninterrupted time with their family. 

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In May, Heidi announced changes to its family benefits, including an increase from 18 weeks of parental leave for both parents to 26 weeks for primary caregivers and 18 weeks for secondary caregivers. Accrued annual leave can be added to either for extended time off. The company also offers a one-time fertility assistance ($7,000 for U.S. employees in 2026) and four weeks of paid compassionate leave in the event of a miscarriage. Heidi also established a publicly available benefits hub that details each offering.

The goals behind the benefits overhaul and open-sourced approach are to "build a team of sustained performance and longevity," meet the evolving needs of their population, and set the standard for family support among technology companies, said Nell Hardie, Heidi's head of people.

"We asked [our employees] what they wanted, and … more were wanting to potentially start the journey to have a family. People give us their all, and we … want to be there for them," she said. "Ideally, we want to have an ecosystem-level impact so that people can look at a company like Heidi and think, we need to be competitive and build a high-performing team of top tech talent, so we need to be offering something in a similar capacity."

Read more:  HP's parental leave policy supports working parents

Going beyond time off

On its benefits hub, Heidi employees can access a step-by-step timeline for communicating about their intended leave time and a checklist for how to prepare, including the creation of a handover document to keep current projects going. During leave, they are encouraged to "fully switch off," but can choose to stay connected on their own terms. The return process is also outlined, including a ramp up policy that allows parents to work four days but get paid for five for up to three months. Other flexible arrangements are reviewed upon request. 

By rounding out support for family-building phases with ongoing benefits such as recharge days after big projects conclude and four weeks of work-from-anywhere time, Heidi aims to consistently demonstrate its commitment to showing up for its employees, Hardie said. In return, the company gains workers' investment in the success of the business.  

"That exchange of output is what creates a really strong equilibrium in how we work," she said. "We're all here for the right reasons, and in the harder times when life throws a curve ball, employees know that Heidi will support them as best we can."