For the fourth consecutive year, Zillow Group has been named one of Fortune’s Best Workplaces for Parents (#36 this year), an honor that reflects our ongoing commitment to support our employees no matter where they are in life’s journey.
The award — based on feedback from parents at Zillow Group during a survey in July — is being given in conjunction with Great Place to Work®. It reflects employees’ day-to-day experiences at work around such things as respect and fairness in the workplace, great benefits, career development, and strong, caring and personal support.
As Zillow Group continues to evolve, we recognize that our employees are our greatest asset. Finding ways to support them and sustain a culture in which everyone can do their best work is as important as anything else we do.
For parents, that support takes the form of a host of family-friendly benefits. Among them: extended maternity and parental leave, adoption assistance and breast-milk shipping.
The benefits reflect what’s important to our employees, and the central role of family in their lives. Supporting our employees makes it possible for them to do amazing work and show up for their families.
A place where you can broadcast that you’re a father
Adama Seck, a connections specialist for Zillow Home Loans and father of a 5-year-old boy, says Zillow Group’s holistic view of employees contributes to a culture in which people feel respected, accepted and valued.
“Being a parent is a huge part of my identity,’’ said Secka, who shares equal custody of his son, Diór, with his son’s mom.
Seck doesn’t just acknowledge being a parent; he broadcasts it — literally. Seck produces a podcast with Diór’s mom, “Two Exes and a Baby,” that addresses the challenges and triumphs of co-parenting. Seck says his teammates not only know about the podcast, but have listened to it.
He’s also found connection through Billow, Zillow Group’s networking, advocacy and mentoring network for employees of Black and African ancestry, and has joined other groups as an ally.
“I get to bring all the pieces of me into work, and then none of it has to be shied away from,’’ he says.
Support before, during and after your baby is born
Emily Miller, manager for Buyer Success for Zillow Offers, chose to work at Zillow Group because of the possibilities it offered for a family life.
“I didn’t see a path to that in my previous job where I was working crazy hours and was on-call 24 hours a day,’’ she said.
Before her first child was born last year, she was encouraged by her manager to take the full maternity leave, and assured that she would not be taking a step back.
Miller continued breastfeeding after returning to work, using an air mail service to ship her milk home when she traveled, pumping in the well-equipped mothers’ rooms in Seattle, and adjusting her schedule and meeting attendance to adhere to a strict pumping schedule.
“When you work full time and you’re breastfeeding, nothing is easy,’’ she says. “But there are things you can do to make it at least possible if that’s what you choose to do. That’s what Zillow Group has done: Make it possible.”
A clear message that life outside work is valued
Kate Aher says she has felt supported by Zillow Group since the early days of her pregnancy. After giving birth to her son 15 months ago, she returned to her job, and joined Zillow Group’s Slack channels where employees share parenting tips and seek advice from other parents.
“We’re all doing good work here, but there are things outside as well,’’ said Aher. “Whether it’s going home to your kids — or if you don’t have kids, you have hobbies, you have pets, you have friends, you have commitments. I feel there’s a healthy respect for life outside of here.”
Aher says the respect she has been shown as a mother, and the continued high expectations for her work, “makes me want to continue to have a long-term career here.”