Parental leave isn’t just a policy. It’s a business strategy
or, an interview with Parentaly CEO Allison Whalen
Conversations about parental leave often stop at policy: How many weeks are offered? Who’s eligible? Is it paid? But as any parent who has taken leave knows, the real story is in the execution. How companies plan for and manage parental leave can make the difference between an employee feeling supported—or deciding it’s time to leave.
To dig into this, I spoke with Allison Whalen, founder and CEO of Parentaly, which provides pre-leave planning, return-to-work support, and manager training to help organizations get parental leave right. Allison launched Parentaly after her own rocky return to work, when she discovered that her team was unhappy and her role had been left in disarray. She soon learned she wasn’t alone: career disruption is the number one reason employees cite for leaving after parental leave.
Since then, Allison has built Parentaly into a trusted partner for companies like Zoom, PwC, and Hershey, supporting thousands of employees and managers through the leave process. In our conversation, she shares what’s changing in 2025—from how leading employers are reframing parental leave as a business event to why more organizations are beginning to see it as a potential career accelerator.
JW: Have you noticed any emerging trends in how leading companies are approaching parental leave in 2025?
AW: I think a lot of companies raced to expand their paid leave policies a couple of years ago, which was a really positive step. But now they’re facing the challenges of implementation. Many expanded without putting enough thought into how to actually manage these longer leaves effectively. More than ever, I’m hearing HR and leadership teams say they’re fielding concerns from managers about how to support the business when critical employees are out for extended periods.
The shift I’m seeing is that companies are starting to recognize parental leave not just as a personal event, but as a business event. Historically, people were hesitant to talk about the challenges openly, because they didn’t want employees to feel unsupported. But I’m seeing organizations become more comfortable proactively planning for absences in a way that actually makes employees going on leave feel more supported.
In short, companies are realizing they need to invest not only in the policies themselves but in the execution—so that working parents are truly supported, and so those longer paid leave policies remain sustainable.
JW: How do you see parental leave fitting into broader conversations about retention and talent development.
AW: One of the big shifts I’m hearing from HR leaders is around how parental leave can actually be a career accelerator. Instead of seeing it as a pause, companies are starting to think long-term: when someone returns, could they step into a role that’s more senior, a better fit, more aligned with their career trajectory? Leave can be a forcing function to help an employee shed responsibilities that feel too junior or unproductive—which is something I get really excited about, because it aligns so closely with what we believe in.
The other shift is around talent development for the coverage team. Companies are asking: how can we use this as a chance to give a junior employee a stretch assignment, or to give someone from another part of the organization exposure to a new area of the business? And if that person thrives, maybe they stay in that role or expand into new opportunities.
What I’m seeing overall is more positive conversation about coverage and replacement—employees saying, “I’d love to be replaced if it means I get elevated when I return,” as long as that’s what they want. It’s hard to pull off in practice, but when it’s done with the right planning and support, it can be a win for everyone.
JW: In your experience, what cultural signals really distinguish companies that truly care about supporting working parents from those that are just checking the box?
AW: In my view, the biggest indicator of whether a company truly supports parental leave is whether fathers are taking it. When men have access to extended paid leave and actually use it, it’s such an equalizer—it signals broad-based support and reframes leave as a caregiver experience, not a men-versus-women issue.
Another indicator is how openly company leaders talk about parental leave and frame it as a positive, supported moment. And honestly, you can also hear it in how employees talk about their experiences. Two companies might have identical policies, but at one, employees will say they felt they could disconnect, that they were treated respectfully when they returned, that they came back to a strong role. That’s what people post about on LinkedIn—not the policy itself, but the lived experience.
So for me, the two biggest signals are whether fathers actually take their leave, and how leaders and employees are talking about the leave experience.
JW: Building on that—if someone’s job searching and they’re pregnant or planning to be, are there any markers they can look for, from the outside, to get a sense of the real story?
AW: First of all, table stakes is whether the company publishes its paid leave policy and benefits for all caregivers. If they don’t, that may be a red flag. As a job seeker, I’d want to see specifics: How many weeks do they offer? Do fathers get paid leave? Do hourly as well as salaried employees have access? Those details say a lot about the culture and how broadly they think about support.
You can also look at what else they publish—bereavement leave, NICU leave, policies that go beyond parental leave but show how they support employees through different life milestones. I often hear people say they ask about parental leave policies in interviews even if they’re done having kids, because it’s a signal. If a company offers leave for men, extended leave for birthing parents, and thoughtful policies overall, that usually reflects how they’ll treat employees during other major personal moments as well.
JW: What organizational blind spots do you see most often when companies roll out parental leave programs?
AW: I think the biggest blind spot is when companies roll out a policy without the support to actually make it work. A big part of that is the manager experience. Managers are put in a tough spot—they want to support their employees, but they’re also thinking, how am I supposed to do that and still deliver on my goals? And of course, no one comes to them and says, “We’ll cut your goals in half because someone on your team is going on leave.”
That’s one of the biggest missteps I see—assuming managers will just figure it out. Instead, they often end up scared, unsure what they legally can and can’t say, and falling back on their own personal experiences, whether or not they’re parents themselves. That leads to inconsistency, and it puts a lot of pressure on managers who, in most cases, genuinely want to do the right thing but just don’t know how.
Best piece of advice for working moms… Oh my goodness, there are a few things I think about all the time. One is that results matter more than the path to get there. So how can I cut corners to reach the outcome? Sometimes that means throwing money at a problem. Many high-achieving women have resources, but they feel shame or hesitation about spending on things that could be easily solved—and that would free them up for more quality time with family and at work.
Another thing I remind myself of is that everything is a phase. When things are hard, it helps to remember: this too shall pass. In the moment, it may feel like we don’t have control, but in the short term we usually do. That perspective is true in parenting, in work, and in the flow between the two.
Read
When gratitude leads you to accept less than you deserve (HBR gift link)
This isn’t the first time moms have been blamed for their kids’ autism (19th News)
AI has this harmful belief about women (Fast Company)
Here’s what I learned about parenting with major depression (Washington Post gift link)
