Chobani, which expanded its parental leave policy in 2016, was also named a certified 'Great Place... [+]
For many workers, particularly women, 2017 brings with it the disappointment of dashed hopes. A whole 48.2% of voters cast their ballots for a Presidential candidate with a strong workplace equality platform, including the closure of the gender pay gap, an increased minimum wage, and 12 weeks of guaranteed paid family leave.
The incoming administration, on the other hand, is not expected to prioritize equality for women workers. The President-elect's six week maternity leave plan has been condemned by policy experts as "woefully inadequate" and "completely unserious." In recent days, his transition team asked the State Department to hand over details of "gender-related staffing, programming, and funding," causing concern that programs promoting women's full participation in the economy will take a hit in 2017.
Luckily, the coming year will also see more companies following the lead of the likes of Twitter, Ikea, and Chobani, offering increasingly generous paid parental leave to employees while simultaneously addressing a shortfall in federal policy.
At least five months of paid leave for new parents across the gender spectrum became the new normal in the tech sector in 2015, with Silicon Valley giants including Netflix, Microsoft, and Amazon announcing improved policies.
In the early months of 2016, Twitter joined in, as did Brooklyn-based e-commerce platform Etsy, offering a humane and progressive six months. Since then, large, influential companies outside the tech world have made similar announcements.
Swedish flat-pack furniture chain IKEA added four months paid leave to its benefits package in December, setting it apart from peers in the retail sector, many of which offer none at all for hourly workers.
Days later, financial services giant American Express upped its paid parental leave offering to five months, boosting its IVF and surrogacy benefits at the same time.
Expect more large companies to follow suit in 2017 as businesses compete to attract and retain millennial workers in the only developed country in the world with no laws guaranteeing paid leave of any kind. For now, here's a look at the big names that boosted these benefits in 2016.
3M
The Minnesota-based manufacturing conglomerate announced an expanded parental leave policy in December, offering 10 weeks paid followed by 10 weeks unpaid. The company notes that biological mothers are eligible for short-term disability in addition to leave.
American Express
On top of five months paid leave across genders, the credit card company is rolling out improved benefits for new and prospective parents alike, including $35,000 to assist with adoption or surrogacy and a lifetime maximum of $35,000 towards infertility treatment.
AXA
The French insurance giant announced a new global policy for its workers in 64 countries, including the U.S., where subsidiaries include asset management firm AllianceBernstein. Primary parents will get four months paid leave, while a secondary co-parent is eligible for a month.
Bank of America
Full- and part-time employees of all genders can now take four months of paid leave from the Charlotte, N.C.-based bank, whether they've become parents via birth or adoption.
Barclays
U.S.-based employees of the British bank were granted expanded parental leave benefits in June. Birth mothers can take four months paid time off, while non-primary parents are eligible for six weeks.
Campbell's
The publicly-traded canned soup company now offers primary parents 10 weeks of paid leave. Co-parents are able to take two weeks off.
Chobani
America's best-selling Greek yogurt brand will now grant all its workers, whether salaried or hourly, six weeks of paid parental leave. The move makes the company one of a small number in the U.S. to offer paid leave to factory workers.
Coca-Cola
Coke now offers six weeks of paid leave to all new parents; birth mothers can supplement that time with short-term disability, taking them to at least three months in total. The Georgia-based soda conglomerate said a team of millennial workers is responsible for devising the policy.
Deloitte
New parents and those caring for ill family members alike are now eligible for four months of paid leave at the multinational professional services firm. Factoring in short-term disability, birth mothers can now take six months off in total.
Discovery Communications
In September, the media company -- and parent of networks including TLC and Animal Planet -- announced an expanded paid leave policy of three months for all new parents and those caring for ill relatives. With the addition of short-term disability, birth mothers working for the Maryland-based public company can take us many as 22 weeks off.
Dow
Birth mothers working at the Michigan-based chemical corporation can now take three months of paid parental leave. The "non-birthing parent" is eligible for two weeks off.
Ernst & Young
In April, the professional services firm boosted its paid parental leave policy from three to four months for all new parents of all genders. EY, as the company is now known, also added generous fertility, adoption and surrogacy benefits to its offering.
Etsy
All employees of the online retailer will be eligible for six months of fully paid leave, regardless of gender or whether they become parents through birth or adoption. Etsy's director of culture and engagement described the new policy as a way to counteract unconscious bias against women and mothers in the workplace by enabling parents to play more equal roles at home.
Exelon
The publicly-traded energy company announced an improved parental leave policy in December. New mothers are eligible for four months paid; co-parents and adoptive parents get two months.
Fidelity
In March, the financial services multinational increased paid time off for new mothers to four months. Co-parents are eligible for six weeks.
First Data
All 24,000 full- and part-time workers at the Atlanta-based payments giant will be eligible for paid leave. Primary parents will be able to take three months; secondary parents can take two weeks.
Hasbro
New parents and their partners across the gender spectrum are all eligible for 10 weeks of paid leave at the publicly-traded Rhode Island toy company. With the addition of short-term disability, birth mothers can take a total of 16 to 18 weeks off to recuperate and bond with their newborn.
Ikea
Swedish furniture chain IKEA will now offer up to four months paid parental leave to its U.S. workers of all genders, whether they're salaried or hourly -- and irrespective of whether they're becoming parents via birth, adoption, or fostering.
Kering
The French luxury conglomerate and parent company of brands like Gucci and Balenciaga has introduced a minimum of 14 weeks maternity leave and five days paternity leave for its 38,500 employees worldwide. This means workers in countries with generous parental leave laws will be granted that time off in addition to their local benefits.
Levi Strauss & Co
In December, the jeans giant announced that salaried and hourly U.S. employees alike will be able to take two months of paid parental leave, regardless of gender.
Nike
Birth mothers employed at Oregon's sportswear giant are now eligible for 14 weeks of paid leave, up from six weeks. Co-parents and those caring for sick relatives can take two months off.
In April, the social network expanded its paid leave offering to include parents of all genders. All Twitter employees can now take five months for births and adoptions.
Vanguard
The investment management company now grants new mothers four months of paid leave. Co-parents can take six weeks, while family caregivers are eligible for two weeks under Vanguard's new policy.
Did I miss a large company that boosted its paid parental leave offering in 2016? Email me: coconnor@forbes.com.
