Good morning! A Planned Parenthood case goes in front of the Supreme Court, a female founder who raised $530 million is accused of financial misconduct, and the best companies to work for have something in common.
– Leave it. There’s a lot of doom and gloom around company policies these days, from endless DEI rollbacks to return-to-office mandates that leave little room for the flexibility that has helped working parents thrive. A new Fortune package—featuring the annual Best Companies to Work For list—highlights the bright spots and where businesses are standing firm on the policies and benefits that support their employees. Fortune reporter Brit Morse is the author of MPW Daily sister newsletter CHRO Daily, and she has a piece today on a company whose parental leave policy stands out. Read her story below and subscribe to CHRO Daily for more like this:
In 2019, IT giant Hewlett Packard Enterprise made the decision to expand its parental leave offerings. Any employee who has worked at the company for more than a year can take 26 weeks of fully paid leave to care for a new child, and has the option of taking additional time off unpaid. On average women at the company take 33 weeks of leave, and men and adoptive parents take about 30 weeks.
Then there’s its 10 days of backup caregiver leave. Around 78% of Fortune 500 HR leaders say they’ve faced hurdles when persuading higher ups to see the long-term benefits of paying for childcare, according to a recent report from education facilitator Kindercare. But HPE has found that making a big bet on these foundational perks can pay off in the long run.
“From senior leadership all the way down, everybody gets the same message that if they’re becoming a parent and they want to take the time, that they absolutely can,” Samanntha DuBridge, VP of benefits, culture, and people care at HPE, tells Fortune.
That’s a big difference from the options most working parents in the U.S. have after the arrival of a new baby. Under federal law, companies with 50 or more employees are required to provide workers with 12 weeks of job-protected leave, although workers who take it don’t have to be paid during that time. Less than a third (27%) of private companies in the U.S. offer some kind of paid leave for parents, according to 2023 data from the Department of Labor.
Enhanced parental leave benefits seem to be paying off for HPE. About 88% of employees say that the programs the company offers shows how it cares about the overall well-being of its staff and their families, and 95% says they have the flexibility they need to handle both their professional and personal needs. For that reason, HPE landed at No. 84 on the Best Companies to Work For list.
“Our parental leave policy demonstrates to team members that when we talk about the importance of well-being, we mean what we say,” says DuBridge.
Read the full story here—and subscribe to CHRO Daily for more throughout the rest of the week on the DEI programs and remote work policies that stand out today in a fast-changing business environment.
Brit Morse
brit.morse@fortune.com
The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Fortune’s daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Today’s edition was curated by Nina Ajemian. Subscribe here.
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
- What’s the plan for Planned Parenthood? South Carolina’s case against Planned Parenthood hits the Supreme Court today, as the state tries to block Medicaid patients from having access to Planned Parenthood clinics. As almost half of Planned Parenthood patients are covered by Medicaid, a decision favoring South Carolina could influence other states to also limit access, effectively defunding the reproductive healthcare group. But it’s not all rosy in blue states: Planned Parenthood’s only Manhattan location is closing, and the Trump administration is withholding tens of millions in funding from a number of clinics.
- Fashion fraud. Caastle cofounder Christine Hunsicker was accused of financial misconduct, sharing “misstated financial statements and falsified audit opinions” with investors. The fashion tech startup, which used to be called Gwynnie Bee, has raised over $530 million in VC funding over 14 years—and its investors may be completely wiped out. Hunsicker resigned as CEO and director of the company and hasn’t commented on the allegations. The company says law enforcement is investigating. Axios
- AI factory. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is expanding in scope beyond chips and software, looking to increase its offerings in the data-center space to compete with Nvidia. “You really have to put the entire system together,” says CEO Lisa Su. As part of these efforts, AMD acquired ZT Systems for $4.9 billion. Wall Street Journal
- World’s wealthiest women. Thirteen percent of billionaires are women, or 406 of the 3,028 billionaires in the world, according to Forbes’ World’s Billionaires list. This number is up a bit from 2024’s 369 female billionaires. This year, Walmart heiress Alice Walton is the richest woman in the world, with an estimated net worth of $101 billion, taking the top spot back from L’Oréal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers. Forbes
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
VP of AI research Joelle Pineau is leaving Meta in May after eight years at the company.
The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy appointed Karen Knudsen as CEO. Most recently, she was CEO of the American Cancer Society and ACS Cancer Action Network.
Go1, a learning and development content platform, appointed Caitlin Haberberger as CFO. Previously, she was CFO at Mezmo.
REI Co-op named Kristin Shane chief merchandising officer. Previously, she was EVP, chief merchandising and marketing officer at The Guitar Center.
iCIMS, a recruiting software provider, appointed Christine Mills as chief revenue officer. Previously, Mills was chief revenue officer at Dataminr.
Remedy Place, a “social wellness club,” named Elizabeth Genel head of people and organizational wellbeing and Kelli Bartlett head of education and experience. Genel was previously president of HR strategic leadership, learning and development, luxury beauty, retail sales and training at Mottcort Consulting. Bartlett was VP of practice growth at Skin Clique.
ON MY RADAR
ESPN’s Pat McAfee and others amplified a false rumor. A teenager’s life was ‘destroyed’ The Athletic
Inside AOC’s growing influence in the Democratic Party Puck
Tate-pilled boys are a problem for schools New York Times
PARTING WORDS
“I’m very clear about the things that I really want to be doing now in my life. Whether it’s good, whether it’s bad, I know how my machine wants to function.”
— Actor Kate Hudson on being in touch with herself and her creativity
