Leasing and asset management platform VTS aims to be commercial real estate’s modern operating system, and they’re looking for curious, driven, and customer-obsessed employees to help them reach that goal. Rated most highly for Paid Time Off, Employer Responsiveness, and The People You Work With, VTS has benefits like flexible PTO, 16 weeks paid leave for primary caregivers, and allowances for external learning opportunities. Click to learn more about the company and to explore their open positions!
Parental leave is a major life transition that requires support before, during, and after a new child arrives. But even knowing that, most new parents don’t get the support they need.
In the U.S., birthing parents take an average of just 10 weeks of leave—sometimes paid, often not. At VTS, that’s considered the bare minimum.
The tech platform offers 16 weeks of fully paid leave for primary caregivers, and just as importantly, the company supports new and expecting parents as they transition into and out of that time away. With a culture rooted in planning, flexibility, and compassion, VTS helps parents navigate this chapter with clarity and confidence.
How do we know? We asked.
Below, three employees share their experiences and reveal the three key ways VTS supports parents holistically and at every stage of new parenthood.
3 ways VTS supports new parents at every stage
1. They help employees plan ahead with a team they can trust
Like we said, VTS offers 16 weeks of primary caregiver leave—a generous amount compared to many companies in the U.S. And employees are grateful. “I would have been so unprepared to leave my baby and be back at work any earlier,” says Lindsay Drobny, principal client success manager, “so I wish other companies would adopt this time for new mothers.”
What’s more, the company absorbs this lengthy time away seemingly with ease, helping employees craft a solid plan for their leave early on.
“My manager and I worked together to identify individuals on the team who could take on my responsibilities when I was out,” says Pavi Raju, a tax director on the company’s finance team. “We then had individual meetings with each team member to go over coverage during my absence. We did this well in advance of my maternity leave, which helped make the transition less stressful. This let me go out on maternity leave with peace of mind that everything would be taken care of.”
Drobny says such early planning ensures thorough knowledge transfers: “I worked alongside my manager to determine my coverage plan and transition prior to my leave. Being customer facing, it was important to understand who would be taking care of my clients while I was out and ensure there was plenty of time for knowledge transfer. I spent many hours with the teammates taking over for me to educate them on my accounts and make sure they understood what they would be taking on so that our clients would have a seamless transition.”
She also credited a reliable internal template for supporting her prep work. “We use a specific template for any account transitions,” Drobny says. “This template served as my guide to ensure I had as much information as possible documented prior to having my transition conversations with the team members taking on my accounts.”
For senior client success manager Daisy Padden, alignment and community were key. Like other VTS parents, she connected with her manager to coordinate when she’d go on maternity leave and how long and to make a transition plan for her clients. But she also reached out to her peers. “Connecting with other parents at VTS was helpful,” Padden says, “and important for getting tips from them on how to manage the pre-maternity leave handover, as well as the transition back to work post leave.”
2. They offer a company-wide gradual return-to-work program
One of the standout policies at VTS—lauded by Raju, Drobny, and Padden alike—is the company’s phased return-to-work schedule. The approach allows new parents to return at 60 percent capacity, typically three days a week for the first four weeks. This time is fully paid.
“It made every aspect of my return easier, from figuring out childcare to getting reacclimated to the long workdays,” Drobny says. “I had never heard of a company with this policy prior to joining VTS and was so grateful to be able to benefit from it.”
Raju says this phased schedule is rebalancing life and work—and sets VTS apart from other organizations. “VTS is one of the few companies that offers a return-to-work perk,” she says. “As a new mother returning to the workplace, this helped me ease back into things while also ensuring I have enough time to spend with my baby at home.”
Padden, who works in the UK, took advantage of a similar phased return, as well as her country’s government-supported Keep In Touch days, which kept her abreast of the company’s changes while she was away.
“Utilizing Keep In Touch days allowed me to check in with work colleagues and join key companywide meetings like All Hands while I was on maternity leave,” Padden says. “I staggered these 10 days across my leave, using more toward the end so that it was most relevant.”
As for the company-wide return-to-work policy, she agrees that having a three-day week for her first four weeks was essential in helping her get back into ‘work mode’ while also allowing her little one to adjust to a new set up. “The phased return to work is really invaluable,” she says, “and drives loyalty among new moms to stay with and work hard for the company.”
3. Managers and teams offer assistance in navigating benefits and the return to work
VTS employees also emphasized how meaningful it was to feel guided—not overwhelmed—by the benefits process.
“VTS ensured I had every bit of information necessary to make educated decisions about the time I was taking off, how to ensure I was paid in full for my entire leave, etc.,” Drobny says. “I had multiple conversations with our People team to help understand what can be a rather confusing process. The how-to guide prepared specifically for my situation by our benefits team was extremely helpful to inform what needed to be done.”
For Padden, that sense of clarity and support continued throughout her leave. She worked closely with her manager to stay connected without feeling pressured.
“My manager was considerate to my family time, and available to check in with me at a time and cadence that worked for me,” she says, adding that they noted any key updates between their catch ups, so she always felt informed. “Being able to proactively plan my return to work with my manager was reassuring and put me at ease ahead of finishing maternity leave.”
And as Raju points out, those details matter—especially when everything feels new. “The VTS team was always ready to answer any questions on benefits, such as helping me add my baby to my insurance in a timely manner. As a new mom, dealing with things like this can be overwhelming, but I always felt I had adequate support through this process.”
She also believes that more companies could benefit from adopting a similar mindset. “Ensure your employees are supported before, during, and after parental leave,” she says, “from flexible return-to-work policy to offering access to mental health resources and childcare support.”
By taking the guesswork out of logistics, VTS empowers new parents to focus on what matters most: welcoming their growing families with the support they deserve.
Advice for future and job-searching parents
“Before you go on leave, ensure that you’ve worked with your manager on coverage for all your responsibilities at work well in advance of your leave so you can truly be on leave during your leave.” —Pavi Raju
“Start planning early! It is a lot of work to add coverage planning and transitions to an already full work day, so the earlier you can get started the better. I’d also fully encourage being as checked out as possible during your maternity leave.” —Lindsay Drobny
“Build out a considered transition plan in collaboration with your manager, and discuss any potential changes for when you return. The most important step is to then forget about work and enjoy your time with your little one!” —Daisy Padden
