Mark Zuckberg going to be Father – Norfolk?f Tech Zone

Silicon Valley technology firms have rushed to extend parental leave allowances and other benefits in an attempt to recruit and retain talent, but many workers do not take advantage for fear of falling behind at work or missing out on promotions.
Zuckerberg’s extended departure is notable because he’s casting a spotlight on the changing landscape of maternity and paternity leave. Facebook allows its employees to take four months off, which more companies are starting to provide, such as Amazon, Spotify, Netflix, and others.
“Studies show that when working parents take time to be with their newborns, outcomes are better for the children and families,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
Facebook, the world’s biggest online social network, allows its U.S. employees to take up to four months of paid maternity or paternity leave, which can be used all at once or throughout the first year of their child’s life, a policy which is generous by U.S. standards. Zuckerberg announced in July that he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, were expecting a baby girl.
A 2015 study by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 21 percent of employers it surveyed offered paid maternity leave, and 17 percent provided paid paternity leave.
“This is a very personal decision,” Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page, along with a picture of a stroller, a yellow baby carrier and his dog, Beast. “Studies show that when working parents take time to be with their newborns, outcomes are better for the children and families.”
Zuckerberg, 31, did not say who would be running the company while he is out. Facebook did not immediately respond to an inquiry.
It is likely that chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, who oversees all of Facebook’s advertising, will assume leadership. Zuckerberg largely oversees products, but will likely rely on chief product officer Chris Cox while he is out.
Zuckerberg’s decision is unusual among high-level tech executives, especially men. Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O) CEO Marissa Mayer took two weeks off after her first child’s birth in 2012, and when she announced she was pregnant with identical twin girls in September, she said she would be taking limited maternity leave and “working throughout.”
Zuckerberg’s post generated more than 50,000 ‘likes’ in one hour and nearly 3,000 comments. Many of the comments lauded his decision and said it sent a positive message about U.S. parental leave policies.
Sandberg commented and congratulated Zuckerberg and his wife. Noting the baby’s upcoming birth, she wrote in her post: “I can’t wait to meet her.”
Zuckerberg noted that Facebook employees in the U.S. can take up to four months of paid maternity or paternity leave, which they can take throughout the year. He included a photo in his post of the couple’s dog next to a baby seat.
The Facebook CEO’s move stands in contrast to that Tesla CEO Elon Musk allegedly sent to an employee, chiding the worker for choosing to attend the birth of his child over a work event. Reporter Ashlee Vance included the anecdote in his book on the technology pioneer, though Musk publicly denied the claim.
In July, Zuckerberg revealed in an extremely personal note that he and his wife were expecting a baby. He shared that the couple had been trying for a while, but unfortunately had three miscarriages along the way. “You feel so hopeful when you learn you’re going to have a child,” he wrote at the time. “You start imagining who they’ll become and dreaming of hopes for their future. You start making plans, and then they’re gone. It’s a lovely experience.”
Over the past few months, during town halls, the Facebook CEO had been besieged by well-wishers who offered him congratulations about his growing family. He certainly hasn’t shied away from sharing his thoughts about what it means to be a parent.
At a town hall event in September, he was asked about what he’d want for his daughter by the time she’s 16. He remarked that he hoped to have “a more open world that was safe for her to be who she is, expressing herself freely; a more connected world where people she loves is nearby; a more equal world where she’d have more opportunities regardless of gender; a world wonder where there’s so many ways to explore all the new things; a reimagined education system; a world with much less suffering without disease, war, without a lot of unnecessary pains today. That’s what I’d want for her.”
Who will take over as Facebook during his absence? It’s unclear, but it’s probably going to be Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg. The company is anything but short on its executive team who can step up in lieu of Zuckerberg’s absence. When reached for comment, a Facebook spokesperson declined to comment, referring us to Zuckerberg’s post.