When our family welcomed our first child I was a Nebraska State Senator and had the flexibility to stay engaged in my public service duties from home through electronic means the first few months as I was recovering from child birth, establishing breastfeeding, and learning all about the many wonders of having a newborn. Thanks to these supportive strategies I was able to pass a significant amount of bills in my personal legislative agenda while ensuring my daughter had a healthy start physically and emotionally.
As our family prepared to welcome our son years later, our small non profit worked together to update our family leave policies to meet best practices. We found a way to balance legitimate business needs, support reproductive justice, and live our values. Strong family leave gave me piece of mind, strengthened my loyalty to my employer, ensured my son had a strong healthy start, and has become a unique recruiting tool to attract top talent in Nebraska’s workforce.
Danielle, Lincoln, Nebraska