← Remote Work Glossary

Parental Leave

Time off granted to a parent to care for a new child, which may be paid, unpaid or a mix.

Parental leave covers maternity, paternity and adoption leave — time off to care for a new child. Policies range from generous fully-paid months to the legal minimum, and they differ dramatically between countries.

On a distributed team, a person's statutory leave usually follows their own country's law, not the company's — so two colleagues can have very different entitlements. It is worth understanding before you join if it may apply to you.