For the fifth consecutive year, Zillow has been named one of Fortune Magazine and Great Place to Work’s Best Workplaces for Parents™, an honor that reflects our ongoing commitment to our employees to put the needs of their families first.
The award — based on feedback from Zillow parents in a survey — 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 personal support and resources needed to manage their lives in these challenging times.
Now more than ever, as Zillow shifts from an office to remote work culture, we recognize that our employees are our greatest asset. We also recognize there is an extra load on parents and caregivers right now. Finding ways to support them and sustain a culture in which everyone can do their best work is of critical importance.
A balanced life
Kirsten Colony is a lead onboarding manager, based in Seattle. She says family benefits have evolved since she started at Zillow five years ago because, “as parents, our circumstances are valued and considered, and our voices are listened to.” One example: Zillow’s Ramp Back program, new in 2020, which gives employees returning from parental leave the option of working at 60% or 80% for up to two weeks to make the transition back to work an easier experience.
During the pandemic, Zillow introduced new benefits for caregivers, including:
- Flexibility with work schedules. Managers and employees can develop a detailed plan that works for caregiving and balances workloads across teams.
- Paid time off for caregivers who have exhausted other options. This includes up to two weeks of leave that can be used intermittently. Another option is the ability to shift to part-time work for up to three months at a reduced salary but with no impact to health benefits.
Help with the “unpredictables”
The option to tap into free backup daycare for up to 15 days is a benefit Rahsaan Grier values. He’s a father of two, and Growth Advisor for Zillow Partnerships based in Atlanta.
Grier says “Zillow invests in its employees, and takes care of those unpredictables,” including short-notice school closures. That support he says, “really makes you a better employee as you move forward.”
Flexibility to care for family
Wayne Rawley works as a video editor at Zillow. He asked his 7-year-old son Weston why Zillow is a good place for parents. Weston’s response: “You can turn a room in your house into an office easily with no struggle and be close to your kids at the same time while you’re working.”
I’m thankful everyday that I work for a company that helps me be a good dad. Zillow is my partner in that.
Wayne Rawley
In October, Zillow announced that most employees will continue to work remotely as part of its new distributed workforce policy. That gives Rawley and other parents the flexibility needed to take care of his family. “I’m thankful everyday that I work for a company that helps me be a good dad,” he says. “Zillow is my partner in that.”
Zillow’s parental leave policy provides delivering mothers 16 weeks of fully paid leave, and non-delivering parents — including adoptive and foster parents — eight weeks of fully paid leave.
To help with the added costs of a new addition to employees’ families, new parents at Zillow receive $1,000 in “Baby Bucks” to help purchase the essentials.
A community of support
Jenna Killion is a senior administrative assistant based in Lincoln, Nebraska, who says her leadership team “encourages me both in my working life and my parenting life.” She helped to build a new support community for parents and caregivers that is open to all employees, including an internal Slack channel where “we can lean on each other for advice, encouragement and just daily support,” she says.
Mother of two young boys, Killon says Zillow is the best place for working parents “because I can truly bring my whole self to work every day.”
Staying vigilant as new needs arise
Zillow is committed to supporting our employees completely, and this means staying vigilant and responsive, and setting new work policies that keep employees safe, supported and productive.
In January, new resources for employees include extended coverage for COVID-19 testing, expanded mental health coverage (all providers will be in-network to ensure a diverse therapist network), and a COVID relief policy which provides up to two weeks of paid time for employees who are diagnosed with COVID or caring for an immediate family member diagnosed with COVID.
Visit our careers page for more information on Zillow employee benefits.