When Cinthia Shields first became a grandmother in 2020, she wasn't able to join her newly extended family due to COVID restrictions. But the second time around, when her daughter gave birth to twins in 2021, she was right there to offer love and a helping hand.
"I have been a grandparent now for a little over two years, and the twins are the second round of babies," Shields says. "With Cora, who was born in 2020, I missed everything: pregnancy, baby showers and birth, and that was so difficult. But then six months later, I got a phone call, and my daughter said, 'Oh my god, I'm pregnant again.'"
Her daughter, Crystal, has an autoimmune disorder that made her pregnancy high risk — the added challenge of carrying twins made it an especially stressful and emotional time for the entire family, Shields says. Fortunately, a new "grandparent leave" benefit at her company, cybersecurity platform SentinelOne, made it possible for her to
"The babies ended up coming four weeks early and everything came to a screeching halt," Shields says. "My company was backing me up — it wasn't for me to be able to enjoy the twins and my granddaughter, but to take care of my family. It was the first time I've ever experienced a company that understood what it was like for grandparents who are still working to be able to be with our grown children and help with the babies."
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SentinalOne's grandparent leave policy was established this year after a company-wide review and expansion of
"That parenting experience never stops — once you're a parent, you're a parent," Ghatak says. "Grandparents play such an important role in the lives of new parents and their grandkids and we wanted to honor that. It's really important for people to be there for their kids in a way that only a parent can."
While Shields was thrilled to have two new babies in the family, her time spent with her daughter was hands-on and often hectic. Because of their premature births, the twins spent a significant amount of time in the neonatal intensive care unit. Shields stayed with her two-year-old granddaughter, Cora, so her daughter and son-in-law could focus on caring for the newborns.
"Both my daughter and son-in-law were able to be there while I was taking care of Cora, who can be a handful," Shields says. "Things really threw her for a loop when the boys came home. It was just a blessing to be able to have that time and not worry about my bills or the kids."
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The medical needs of her new grandsons were emotionally challenging for Shields to cope with, too, she says. Once the boys were home, they needed in-home nursing care and were hooked up to various machines to help in their growth and recovery. Being able to switch off her work responsibilities and be present for her family was something she never imagined she'd be able to do, she says.
"Watching my daughter going through all of the hospital visits, and then for me to not be able to pick up the children because they had hoses going into their tummies and were hooked up to machines, it was really challenging from an emotional standpoint," Shields says. "To not be in a situation of, either you work or you take care of your family just gave me so much relief. I could make the decisions based on the best outcome for my daughter and son-in-law and their children."
Shields used her grandparent leave and then worked part-time for an additional week from her daughter's home while everyone adjusted to their new reality. While she is one of the first people to take advantage of the grandparent leave benefit, she's certain it will be widely taken advantage of among SentinelOne's workforce.
"There's quite a few people who are in their 40s and 50s and I expect that there will be many more people that will be leveraging it," Shields says. "It takes a village to raise a child and it takes a village to support that adult child and the next generation, and benefits need to be supportive of that."
Ghatak says ensuring their benefits cover a
"It just makes people feel that we're really listening and watching out for the needs of all the different segments of our workforce," she says. "That feeling of trust leads to very high levels of retention, which has for us, been far above industry standard."
While the past year has continued to be challenging for Shields' family, as her grandsons need additional medical care and support, she does plan to make another trip to visit everyone in the coming months. Becoming a grandmother has been an unexpected journey, she shares.
"It was an emotional roller coaster from the time she was pregnant, to the time she was delivering, to the time afterwards," Shields says. "As grandparents, we don't have much control. Our adult children are making their own decisions. But knowing I can be there for them was huge."
