Zoetis offers the following leave types to colleagues with growing families:

Short-Term Disability

If you give birth to a child, short-term disability benefits are available while you take time off for medical recovery. If you are expecting a baby, the STD and Leave Brochure provides information on:

  • How and when to contact NY Life, the Zoetis STD and leave administrator
  • Other “leaves” that may apply to your situation

Parental Leave (paid and unpaid)

Zoetis offers 12 weeks of paid and 20 weeks of unpaid Parental Leave to care for and bond with a newborn or adopted child, including adoptive and surrogate. Paid parental leave is in addition to any STD for the birth parent or Adoption Paid leave. It must be taken on a continuous basis within 12 months of the date of birth or the end of the Short-term Disability period for the birth parent.

Adoption Paid Leave

Adoption Paid Leave provides up to 6 weeks of paid leave to be used during the adoption process and for bonding and caring for the adopted child once placed in the home. Adoption leave can be used on an intermittent basis and must be used within 12 months of the child’s placement in the home. Adoption leave is in addition to paid parental leave.

Zoetis also complies with state and local laws, as well as the Family and Medical Leave Act.  You can review the policies for each by clicking on the above links. 

To apply for your leave:

  • Contact NY Life at 1-888-842-4462 to apply for STD, Parental Paid Leave, and Adoption Paid Leave
  • You will also need to contact NY Life on your last day of work to verify that it is your last day so that they can start your claim.
  • For those on maternity STD, you will need to provide NY Life to with the baby’s date of birth and type of delivery.

After contacting NY Life for Short Term Disability, Family Medical Leave (FMLA) or Parental Leave, please also reach out to the Zoetis Leave Administrator, Reina Maston, at reina.maston@zoetis.com. The Leave Administrator will review how various Paid Time Off (PTO) will work in conjunction with these leaves. The Leave Administrator will also work with payroll to ensure you are paid appropriately during your leave.

How much paid time off will be covered under Short-Term Disability?

Your STD paid benefits for childbirth generally begin 3 weeks before your projected due date and continue for 6 weeks after the birth of your child, or 8 weeks in the case of a Cesarean section. Since pregnancy is considered and treated the same as any other disabling illness, the duration of your STD benefit will be based on the period in which your health care provider considers you disabled and for which you are approved by NY Life. Your STD disability period before and after birth will run concurrently with Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

When does Parental Leave begin?

As of the date of birth, or for birth mothers also receiving STD, Parental Leave will begin after the approved pregnancy disability is completed.

How much time off can a parent receive under Parental Leave?

Parental Leave is a period of leave of up to 26 weeks including up to 12 weeks of paid leave and up to 20 weeks of unpaid leave.  Employees are limited to one paid Parental Leave per rolling 12-month period. 

How does my state leave coordinate with my Zoetis provided Parental Leave?

Our policy is separate from state and local laws and Zoetis does not administer state paid leaves. While a colleague may apply for state paid benefits, in many cases the state will contact Zoetis to determine if the colleague is receiving a benefit from the company and may offset the state benefit accordingly. Please contact your state for further information.

How long does a parent have to take Parental Leave?

Parental Leave must be taken with 12 months of the date of birth of the colleague’s child or the end of the colleague’s child-birth disability, whichever is later.

How will vacation time be applied?

Any accrued, unused vacation must be used at the start of the unpaid portion of the leave of absence and will run concurrently with FML and/or Parental Leave. You will not be permitted to take more vacation than you have accrued as of the date your leave first started.

Can I use my Caregiver Paid Time Off?

The 40 hours of annual Caregiver Paid Time Off will not apply to caring for newborn.  The Caregiver Paid Time Off is to be used when a colleague has a seriously ill immediate family member, including a child, spouse and parent, and needs time off to care for that person.

Will I receive company paid holiday while on leave?

Company holidays are suspended while out on leave.

Is manager approval required to take Parental Leave?

To the extent possible, colleagues must provide advance notice to their manager of the request for the 12-week paid Parental Leave portion; the unpaid portion of Parental Leave (not protected by FMLA and/or state laws) requires manager approval and will be determined based on business needs.

When I’m ready to return to work, can I request a temporary reduced work schedule? 

You may request a temporary reduced work schedule, i.e., a “phased return.” You must request a phased return prior to the end of your leave before returning to your regular work schedule. The phased return must be completed before the end of the 26-week maximum period allowed under Parental Leave. Availability of a phased return is subject to management approval and may be modified to meet business needs; therefore, a request for a phased return may be denied. If approved, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) and/or state leave entitlements, to the extent applicable, will apply to the days not worked during the phased return period. Additional phased return details can be found under the Parental Leave policy.

To enroll your new child in benefits or change benefit elections, visit Your Benefits Matter if you are on the Zoetis network or go to digital.alight.com/zoetis. For assistance call the Zoetis Benefits Center at 1-833-885-5658, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 6 pm, ET.

  • Even if you are currently enrolled in a Zoetis family medical plan, you need to provide your child’s name and DOB and take the steps to add them to the medical plan in order for your child to have coverage. You do not need to have your child’s Social Security number to enroll your child.  However, your newborn’s Social Security number must be provided within three months of birth to meet the Affordable Care Act requirements.
  • Because of IRS regulations, you need to make changes within 31 calendar days of the birth. If changes are not made within the 31 calendar days, then you will need to wait until the next annual enrollment.
  • Changes will be effective starting with the date of birth.
  • Changes cannot be entered until the date of birth or after.

Please note that the Zoetis Benefits Center answers questions on enrollment/changes to enrollment Qualified Life Events (QLE). If you have claims questions, they will redirect you to the insurance carriers, or you can contact them directly.

Back-Up Care (Bright Horizons)

Back-Up Care is offered through Bright Horizons. Zoetis is offering back-up dependent care programs to provide colleagues with a safety net for those days when regular arrangements fall through. The program offers in-home and center-based back-up care for family members of all ages with non-medical related special needs for up to 10 days per calendar year.

Priority Access program will give colleagues priority access to full- and part-time enrollment at Bright Horizons child care centers on a space-available basis. Colleagues receive $50 off of the initial registration fee.

Daycare, Child Care and Pre-School Network (Upwards)

Upwards (previously branded as WeeCare) provides colleagues and their families with dedicated support to find, tour and enroll with the right type of care for their family, even in areas where daycare centers are not common.  The Upwards network of providers includes centers and in-home care near Zoetis locations across the U.S., that includes 3,000+ locations in 40+ states and 750 cities, with many centers offering extended hours.  Upwards providers go through a screening process that includes a background check, license verification, professional training and continual compliance monitoring, and families are supported with Upwards message, photo and video updates, and health and safety features through their app.

The Zoetis EAP is a confidential counseling program that offers you and your eligible family members access to experienced behavioral health professionals. Learn more.

If you plan to update your will, check out our legal benefits provided through MetLife.