Why these new parents love their Birmingham workplace

Sponsored

When Kat and Blanton DePalma began their careers at Protective six years ago, little did they imagine that one day they would be working parents in the same company.

Now that their daughter Charlotte is five months old, they’re grateful that things turned out the way they did.

Keep reading for their story.

Meet the DePalmas

Kat DePalma currently works as a Lead Associate Human Resource Business Partner, while Blanton DePalma is a Senior Associate, Training Partner in the company’s Enterprise Shared Services group.

People often assume they met at Protective, but they actually met at Auburn while pursuing graduate degrees in English.

It was pure coincidence that both had the opportunity first to interview, then to work at Protective.

A temporary maternity leave coverage role at Protective helped Kat discover—and fall in love with—the field of human resources.

“I loved HR and realized it’s what I wanted to pursue. Protective has supported me in completing professional certification related to the field.”

Kat DePalma, Human Resource Business Partner, Protective

As he was completing his master’s program, Blanton realized he wanted to find an opportunity in business to use the skills he had practiced in pursuing English like careful reading, critical thinking and written communication.

He’s grateful that Protective gave him a chance with an entry-level position in case management. From there he moved into a couple of different roles before landing where he is now.

Contemplating your next career move? Check out what Protective has to offer.

Letting colleagues know they were expecting

Kat’s teammates met her big news with squeals of excitement, hugs and applause. Turns out, she was in good company, since she was the third person on her team to have a baby that year. 

“When I told my boss I was expecting, she got misty-eyed and said ‘this is going to be so magical.’ The number one thing everyone told me is ‘Your work will be here. Don’t even worry about that—we will have people cover.’

People were thrilled for me and so supportive throughout my entire pregnancy leading up to Charlotte’s birth.”

Kat DePalma, Human Resource Business Partner, Protective

When Blanton asked to speak with his boss, first she was relieved to learn he hadn’t discovered a new job opportunity, then, she was thrilled for him and his wife.

Although he was nervous about taking time off, his team said “Take your time off. We’ll figure it out—we’ve got you.”

Paid parental leave

Protective’s parental leave policies helped the DePalmas welcome their little one to the world:

• The standard for birthing partners is 12-14 weeks of fully paid leave.
• Standard paid leave for non-birthing partners (including adoptive parents) is six weeks, which can be extended with Paid Time Off (PTO) if the birthing partner needs extra support.

Support from Protective during pregnancy

The DePalmas couldn’t say enough about how much support the company and teammates provided.

“My team was very proactive about working with me on a transition plan, so in the last couple of weeks of my pregnancy, I was supporting others who were going to be covering for me and was able to go on leave knowing that everything was taken care of.”

Kat DePalma, Human Resource Business Partner, Protective

Together, they outlined some of the concrete resources the company provides:

• Baby Yourself classes to learn more about Protective’s resources and meet other expecting moms or dads at the company.
• Protective offers an app called Maven that serves as an information hub for prospective parents, complete with webinars, access to health coaches + more.
• On-site lactation rooms are available for breastfeeding moms to pump.
• Break rooms have refrigerators where breast milk can be stored safely. 
• For adoptive parents, Protective provides six weeks of paid leave and up to $5000 in adoption assistance.

Making it all work once the baby arrived

The DePalmas chose to take their leave at the same time, which gave them a month and a half together to recover, bond as a family and establish new routines. Once Blanton went back to work, Kat had another six weeks at home.

“They meet you where you are to be able to have a great career and have the time you need to be a great parent. I’ve never felt like I have to pick or choose.”

Kat DePalma, Human Resource Business Partner, Protective

They said that coming back to work was an easy transition with the support they received from their departments and internal stakeholders:

“Across the board, everybody’s been very understanding and it made me think about what a human experience it is to have a child—everyone can relate to that.”

Blanton DePalma, Senior Associate, Training Partner, Protective

Learn more about Protective today.

Sponsored by:

Protective refers to Protective Life Corporation and insurance company subsidiaries, including Protective Life Insurance Company (Nashville, TN) and Protective Life and Annuity Insurance Company (Birmingham, AL). Protective is a registered trademark of Protective Life Insurance Company. All trademarks, logos, and service marks are the property of Protective Life Insurance Company and are protected by copyright, trademark, and/or other proprietary rights and laws.