Cocoon

As People leaders think about 2026 policies, there are two crucial points to consider when it comes to paid leave. First, ensuring your policies are fully compliant, and second, making them competitive to attract and retain top talent. Paid leave is, as always in one of the few countries without federally mandated paid leave, complicated. There are now more than 43 different state laws governing parental, medical, and caregiver leave in the U.S. alone. This patchwork of regulations makes it harder than ever for People teams to manage risk while designing modern, impactful policies. Cocoon offers free tools to help ease this headache and empower People teams to confidently finalize their policies heading into the new year: 🔖 Paid leave policy generators: Our interactive tools help you instantly benchmark and generate a foundational paid leave policy: https://lnkd.in/gPHZ6DPP ✅ Parental leave company policy checklist: Use this comprehensive checklist to quickly audit your existing parental leave policy against common legal requirements and best practice benefits to spot any compliance gaps or missed opportunities: https://lnkd.in/gkkCQ_Zq

Today is #GivingTuesday, and we’re celebrating the power of community to drive change. At the end of last year we kicked off our Paid Leave Pays Off campaign with a $10,000 donation. We pledged to donate $1 for every leave managed in Cocoon through the end of 2025–to date, we've donated $13,855. These funds are going directly to three leading organizations fighting for equitable, accessible paid leave for all: Chamber of Mothers, Moms First, and Paid Leave for All. Their work addresses the urgent reality that 73% of U.S. workers lack access to paid family leave through their employers. This policy failure forces parents and caregivers back to work too soon after life-changing events and compromises their health and financial well-being. Whether you are an individual or a People leader, join us today in making an impact by: 💸 Contribute to the movement. Make a donation to any organization advancing paid leave and support for parents, like the ones listed above, or our friends at Bobbie for Change: https://lnkd.in/gwi7fZkc 📣 Advocate internally. Your internal leave policies are your company’s most powerful mechanism for change (if you need help writing or benchmarking these, check out our resources in the comments ↓). Let's make sure that taking leave doesn't mean taking a pay cut or a career penalty. Let’s fund the future of paid leave for everyone so people can focus on what matters most—today,  this holiday season, and every other random Tuesday.

It can be easy to feel discouraged by the slow, often frustrating pace of policy progress (looking at you, recent government shutdown). That’s especially true when it comes to the things we care most about; and for Cocoon, that’s paid leave. This month, we are feeling extra grateful for the unyielding force of paid leave advocates and organizations who refuse to let the fight fade. These organizations drive change, support families, and ensure the conversation for equitable paid leave remains front and center. Check out just some of the groups that inspire us every day 👇

"What does leave-taking look like on average? In a word: short." Here are some of the most important findings from a recent research report by the University of Nebraska: → On average, U.S. mothers begin to return to work within three weeks of birth; by 12 weeks, nearly all are back to work. → For fathers, we see a very small blip in work right around the timing of a child’s arrival, but they are quickly back to work. → Leave-taking varies widely by state, but even where generous (by U.S. standards) leave is available, many new mothers take far less than they could. → Expanding state programs and improving awareness could meaningfully increase leave-taking and its benefits. Read more from Emily Oster and ParentData here: https://lnkd.in/gtuECiYq

We surveyed over 1,300 employees across the nation to understand how access to competitive paid leave policies impact recruiting and retention. When it comes to recruiting and retention, not offering paid leave is often a make-or-break issue: 60% say access to paid leave would be a deal-breaker when considering a new job. "Paid leave pays off" is more than just clever copywriting and Cocoon’s vision for leave—it’s a conclusion we’ve come to again and again having helped our customers manage over 10,000 leaves, seeing first hand the impact paid leave makes. But we know nobody can speak to that better than employees themselves. We know that compassionate, competitive employers go further and get better results, but now you can see why for yourself: Read more from the survey here: https://lnkd.in/ggQqBWDu

Leave management can easily turn into a high-stakes game of "waiting for input." When an employee is out on leave, a missed form or deadline can create administrative lag, impact an employee’s pay, and more. Cocoon created our Proxy Admin role to eliminate that bottleneck. This is more than just access; it's a structured, consent-based feature that provides your People team with the power to *act* while maintaining a unified record of what happened. Here are some of the major benefits of having Proxy power: ✅ Unblock leaves: Step in to submit non-claims related documents ✅ Update ever-changing plans: Edit leave dates without waiting on the leave-taker ✅ Maintain a clear record: Every action taken—by whom and when—is automatically recorded in a unified log To see the full list of actions a Proxy Admin can take in Cocoon, check out the blog: https://lnkd.in/gzHzkzSG

The complexities of the gender parity gap are not abstract. They are baked into the structures of the modern workforce, and they cost companies billions of dollars in lost talent and productivity. State and federal policymakers are (supposedly) working to address this, but either way, employers have a huge opportunity to step up for their own workplaces and truly make a difference for women in the workforce. At Cocoon, we’re fierce advocates for a world where every working person can take leave when they need it. In order for that to become a reality, we need systemic change in the workplace. While compassion is a critical component of formulating a competitive leave strategy, the business case for closing the gender gap is equally supported by cold, hard data.

For the People teams that want an LOA partner they can count on, we built Cocoon for you. "Sarah M is always so helpful. Sometimes she feels like an extension of our internal HR team. Our team is very small so any assistance we can get from our vendors goes a long way." — HR Manager at a 400-person Financial Services company 💚

Going on leave can be an exciting, overwhelming, or emotional experience—and sometimes all three. On top of focusing on the actual reason for taking leave, people often have to navigate how and when they’ll get paid. Our newest guide is meant to help simplify the process so you can focus on what matters most during your leave. Check out the Leave pay 101 guide (and free tracking template) → https://lnkd.in/gMHwBJQW P.S. You can find all of our free tools and resources here: https://lnkd.in/gWNf3u-T

If you’ve ever sent us a product request or shared an idea, this one’s for you! Every product update last month was powered by your feedback: 💌 Custom emails that sound like you 📱 Mobile-friendly task dashboard 📂 Smarter document organization 📎 Consolidated leave and payroll downloads 🗓️ Better visualization for holidays in leave plans We don’t just collect feedback—we build from it. See what else you helped us build → https://lnkd.in/ghKn9N9H