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Oct 06 2022

Family Day: Balancing work life as a parent at Meta

By Meta Careers
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Each year in Israel, families get together to celebrate Family Day. At Meta, we celebrate by honoring all of the parents who give 100 percent to their work and their families every day. Families can look different for everyone, and the word family can mean different things to different people. To us, family means support. Whether it’s encouraging parents to bring their authentic selves to work, providing a forum for parents and families to share their success and fears, or building tools that help team members find balance, we’re focused on empowering parents at Meta to be their best at work and at home.
In honor of Family Day in Israel, we spoke with some parents in our Tel Aviv office about how Meta supports them as parents and as team members.

Designing a life around family

“Growing up, I lived in two states. My parents were divorced, and my father lived in Philadelphia while my mom lived in California. When my wife and I got married in Israel, we decided we wanted to eventually grow our family there. But finding a job I loved that was right for us wasn’t easy, and we moved back and forth from California to Israel four times. Almost three years ago, I was offered a position at Meta as the recruiting site lead for the team in Tel Aviv. It was the perfect opportunity at the perfect time.
Family is everything to me. My whole life revolves around my wife and four boys. I block off time to take Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes with my kids, coordinate meals and weekend activities with my wife, and carry on my favorite tradition: posting photos of my sons on my Instagram and recording rap videos with them on our YouTube channel. I work from home once a week, stay in the office longer on certain days, and other nights, I leave early. I’m open about my schedule and family priorities, which is key. I tip my hat to Meta for allowing me to give my kids a great life and design my lifestyle around what matters to me most.”—Tahg A., Tel Aviv Recruiting Site Leader and Global Product and Software Recruiting Manager
="Tahg and his four sons on a tile patio"
Tahg and his sons

Finding a community of support

“As a new parent, it can be difficult to find a group of people at work who understand and support you. At Meta, it’s the opposite. There are so many parent communities I can connect with here, and everyone is incredible. When I first started, I was paired with a buddy who was another young mom on my team. I immediately felt like I had someone to share my thoughts and fears with. I could talk about everything from work to my personal life, and I instantly felt comfortable.
Before Meta, I held various roles in management. I had to be available to my team at all hours, and I realized I couldn’t do it anymore, especially as a single parent. After taking time off, I decided to join Meta—this time as an individual contributor. At first, I was concerned about the work-life balance, but I quickly realized this wasn’t an issue. My team trusts me and respects the boundaries I set when I am with my family. While I’m no longer a manager, I love that I have a clear path for growth. There’s so much opportunity to learn and make an impact.
My parents have always represented a safe space for me. I’ll never forget the supportive environment they created for my sister and me growing up. Now a single mom to twins, I hope to do the same for my kids.” —Tali Z., Data Scientist
="Tali holds her two young children in her home"
Tali and her babies

Bringing family together

“I have five children: four girls and one boy. Meta has been amazing for our family, particularly when it comes to paternity leave. I love that I can break up my leave and take it sporadically throughout the year. My wife is a stay-at-home mom, and for my last two children, I timed my paternity leave to be around my kids’ vacations so I could be at home with them and support my wife. Being able to spend this quality time with my children at a young age is priceless. I’ve noticed that I have a much closer relationship with my toddler than I did with my older children when they were that age because I didn’t have the time off with them.
A lot of the company’s culture reflects its mission to bring people together. It’s the only place I’ve worked where I’ve felt comfortable bringing my kids to the office. My kids love hanging out in the art room or the dance studio while I finish my work. Team members will come by and say hi to them, and we’ll eat lunch together with some of my colleagues. I feel incredibly lucky to work at a company that supports me as a team member and a parent.”— Selig D., Data Science Manager.
="Selig holds his infant child, who is wearing a Meta onsie"
Selig and his baby

Parenting on our terms

“The work I’m doing now used to be my hobby and it’s incredible that I get paid to do what I love. As passionate as I am about my career, I am even more passionate about my family. Luckily for me, Meta doesn’t ask me to sacrifice family time. I find balance by setting expectations and being present for everything I do, both at work and at home. When I’m at work, I’m focused on my work goals. When I’m at home, my phone is set to Do Not Disturb so I can focus on spending quality time with my family playing puzzles, watching movies or taking walks. I’ve also been fortunate to have flexibility. If I need to work from home, I have the support to do so. If my kids have a day off school, my team welcomes them in the office.
“My wife and I have two beautiful boys who are 8 and 11. They’re my greatest life achievements. My kids love coming to the office and hearing stories about the work I do! As a family with two moms, decisions are often less trivial—from deciding to have kids all the way to dividing day-to-day life decisions like figuring out who does what. Everything we do is intentional. We’ve discovered how to parent on our own terms, and I’m so grateful to have had the support and flexibility to do so.”—Dan-ya S., Manager, Product Growth.
="Dan-ya, her two children and a friend standing indoors"
Dan-ya and family
This post, originally published on February 25, 2020, was updated on October 6, 2022, to reflect our shift to Meta and new details about team members, roles and responsibilities.

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Cover image via Dvir Adler
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