The weeks and months following childbirth are a special time for parents. It’s a chance to bond with the new arrival, establish new routines, and get to grips with what can be a tough new challenge! Every little helps, and that’s why we’re glad that Oracle employees in the Czech Republic can now have up to ten weeks extra parental leave.
We spoke to some of the busy parents about the new benefit, plus the extra supports Oracle offers. They were eager to share their thoughts on how it’s changed their experiences for the better.
“Full support”
Senior Development Manager Petr Kovar was keen to emphasize how the extra leave helped him balance work and family demands after his partner gave birth to their third child, Veronika. “Because all our kids are quite small and need our full support, it was very helpful to stay at home with family, so that I could help my wife as much as possible after the birth,” Petr shares. “This way I could cover the older kids and she could focus on the smallest one or try to relax and recover.”
“Frantisek and Mariana were not used to going to bed and listening to fairytales together and had different preferences about everything, which often led to ‘goodnight marathons!’”
Flexibility
Thanks to the added flexibility of being able to work from home, Petr has discovered a new routine that works for the whole family. “Work from home some days is very helpful—and necessary—to help my wife with taking care of all three small kids,” he adds.
“Oracle does a great job in this area. Working hours and office presence are flexible, there’s fully paid sickness or family member care and there’s this paternity leave benefit. All of this is really helpful for parents with small kids and can help in situations when most of the family is sick or when one parent needs to stay at home.”
Demanding
Finding time is a common theme among parents and there’s often a struggle to balance everyone’s needs.
Senior Talent Advisor Monika Mikesova is using her leave to slow things down and spend more time with her daughter, Sarka. Although, being a mother is still demanding. “My day starts usually when Sarka wakes up and she is ready to start playing! Usually, this is the most productive part of my day. I cook, I prepare meals for Sarka for the whole day and breakfast for me. Then we usually go out for a short walk. I love carrying Sarka in a carrier on my body and enjoying the part along the river Vltava in Karlin, where we live.”
“Even though it looks like a holiday, trust me, I feel pretty tired! I really look forward to when Sarka’s father comes from work to play with her.”
First-time dad Pavol Hrabovsky agrees: “It was a huge change in our life. To be able to stay home and help my wife with everything was a great benefit. Especially in the beginning we did everything together during day and night. It’s hard to imagine working 8 hours after several sleepless nights.”
Time to adapt
Software Development Manager Milan Kostelnik and his wife live far away from their families and were relieved at the extra time they had to adapt when extra postpartum care was needed.
“I expected that taking care of a newborn would be difficult, but it still exceeded my expectations. It’s really a difficult time for mothers that includes a lack of sleep, bodily changes, and 100% dedication,” Milan says. “It’s just me and her who take care of our daughter 24/7. Taking this into consideration, I’m really glad I was here to help.”
“The bond created between me and my daughter during paternity leave was also crucial, especially when my wife had to return to the hospital after the birth, and I had to take care of her on my own.”
Nikola Chalupská, one of our applications partner sales account executives, is also grateful for the extra time, but for different reasons. “It is a cliche to say, but babies really grow super quickly! I’m thrilled to observe it and dedicate my full attention to parenting.”
“My daughter is currently three months old, and I’m planning to stay at home with her for three years. I realize this is exceptional compared to the other countries and I decided to make the most of this opportunity to focus on her.”
“Very lucky”
Principal Product Manager Jana Nekudova has been with Oracle for almost a decade and had reservations about juggling career and family life at first. “For somebody who always wanted it all, a respectable career and family, taking the plunge and leaving in the hopes that it wouldn’t hinder my career prospects was far from easy,” she admits.
But the company’s robust supports for parents soon put her mind at ease. “I must say, however, that Oracle and the managerial team has gone above and beyond in terms of making me feel that it’s possible. Not only was I promoted after I announced my pregnancy, but the offer to come back whenever I felt ready was made.”
“The company also allows unrestricted home office work which will make the transition back significantly easier. Looking back, joining Oracle, eight years ago now, was a very lucky move.”
Impressive benefits
Parental leave is just one part of Oracle’s impressive benefits program. There’s a strong focus on holistic wellbeing and support with everything from retirement to health and professional development reflects that. We also encourage all our people to give back to their communities and support their effort with paid volunteering opportunities.
We believe that work and personal life should complement, not work against, each other. By supporting both, we empower our people to unlock their full potential and grow their way.
Do you want to work somewhere that truly values work-life balance and responds to your needs? Explore our careers and benefits in the Czech Republic today and come create the future with us.