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Netflix Inc., which lets employees take as much vacation as they want, is now offering as much as one year of paid time off to new mothers and fathers in what’s probably the most generous parental leave policy in the U.S.

New parents can be away from the office for as many days as they choose in the first 12 months after a child’s birth or adoption, Netflix said Tuesday in a blog post. The policy sets it far apart from the vast majority of U.S. employers, even in the technology industry, which is famous for worker perks. At Facebook Inc., mothers and fathers get four months paid leave, plus US$4,000 in “baby cash,” while at Google Inc. it’s up to 18 weeks.

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Netflix “raises the bar for other companies — it really sets a whole new bar,” said J. Veronica Biggins, managing director at Diversified Search, and executive recruiter in Philadelphia, and a director at Southwest Airlines Co.

Only 12 per cent of U.S. private-sector employees have access to any paid family leave through their jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The U.S. is the only nation in the developed world that doesn’t mandate maternity leave with pay.