Parenthood in the Fluffle

One day you’re planning sprint priorities. The next, you’re researching stroller safety at 3 a.m. Either way, sleep is in short supply.

Welcoming a new little baby into the family comes with plenty of surprises and sleepless nights. After all, learning how to keep a tiny human alive is enough of a challenge on its own.

Paid parental leave is one of the ways we support new parents at bunny.net, giving them the time to settle into life with a new baby and embrace the ever-changing definition of a routine.

I recently caught up with a few Fluffle members about their experience taking parental leave after welcoming their first child.

Here’s what they had to say.

For our Senior Engineering Manager, Bogdan, parental leave meant having the time to simply be there. As an expat, he and his wife don’t have grandparents or relatives nearby to help with childcare, so having access to paid parental leave, gave him the opportunity to care for his wife and spend more time together as a family during one of the most important parts of their lives.

“It made a huge difference. I could support my wife through the tough moments and spend more time with my family when they needed me most.”

He also appreciates the peace of mind that comes with the insurance plan Bunny provides, knowing their child is covered and they can access private healthcare whenever they need it.

One of his favorite memories was bringing his son to last year’s Fluffle building in Portugal. Since he and his wife don’t have family nearby to help with childcare, traveling without their child isn’t really an option. Being able to include his family was a nice perk, and it made them feel like part of the Fluffle, too.

Parental leave gave our Principal Support Engineer, Michael, the chance to be exactly where he wanted to be: at home with his family. It meant he could be alongside his wife through the challenging, often chaotic days of welcoming a newborn and settling into a new family routine.

“Having an extended period of time off as a father allowed me to share in the most important early moments of my daughter’s life.”

Michael says he is deeply grateful, not only for the time he had with his family, but also for working at a company that genuinely supports parents.

When Oliver, our Senior Software Engineer, welcomed a new baby into the family, he also introduced the Fluffle to its youngest honorary member. During those first few weeks, Oliver’s son regularly joined morning meetings to meet the team, while everyone eagerly waited for their turn to say hello. Having the flexibility to take parental leave when his family needed it most also meant he could fully focus on his partner and their other children as they adjusted to life with a newborn.

“Being able to take parental leave when we needed it most made adapting to having a new member of the family easier on everyone.”

His three-year-old daughter has also embraced her new role as big sister, happily introducing her little brother on video calls and, in a true act of sibling generosity, agreeing to share her Bunny plush with him.

One of our Lead Engineers, Nejc, experienced parental leave a little differently. Our remote-first culture gave him the flexibility to spend time with his family while hopping around the globe, traveling through Indonesia, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

“bunny.net enabled me to work remotely from the other side of the world while I was partly on parental leave.”

Having the freedom to combine parental leave with remote work gave Nejc and his family the chance to explore parts of the world they may not otherwise have been able to visit. It also gave them the opportunity to enjoy those early months as a new family while exploring some of the most beautiful places in the world.

Every family’s story is different. One thing that came through in every conversation, though, was how much having the time and support to be present meant to each of them.

We’ll leave the final word to our Customer Success Lead, Armin. Although he’s well past the newborn stage, his thoughts on raising a family in the Fluffle felt like the perfect way to wrap up these stories:

"Whilst most people are throwing away weeks of their life every year sitting in a car alone going to and from work, in an office with no character, I get to spend mornings with my kids and put them to bed every day.

A goldfish can grow up to ~2 inch in a bowl, 6 inches in an aquarium, 12 inches in a pond and over a foot in a lake. Still the same fish... the only thing that changes is its environment.

Just a thought, from a grateful goldfish."

If you’re looking for a place where your career can grow alongside your family, we’d love to hear from you. Hop over to our careers page to see our open roles and learn more about life at bunny.net.