The rest of the world allows paid maternity leave, yet the U.S. stands true to its reputation of being a workaholic nation: The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) mandates 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year for a new mother, making it the only country in the world aside from Papua New Guinea that doesn’t guarantee paid maternity leave.

Now, Netflix, the Internet streaming company that provides you with your favorite TV shows, is paving the way to change maternity (and paternity) leave standards in America. On Tuesday, the company announced it will begin offering its employees unlimited paid maternity and paternity leave for the first year after a child’s birth. It’s all about flexibility at Netflix, with new parents allowed to work part-time, full-time, or not at all during the first year after a child’s birth — whatever works for them and their family.

“We’ll just keeping paying them normally, eliminating the headache of switching to state or disability pay,” Tawni Cranz, chief talent officer at Netflix, said in a statement. “Each employee gets to figure out what’s best for them and their family, and then works with their managers for coverage during their absences.”

Why Netflix’s Path Is The Healthy One

In 2013, researchers from the University of Maryland School of Public Health examined the link between length of maternity leave and postpartum depression. They found that women who had shorter maternity leaves were much more likely to develop depression after their child’s birth, swamped in concerns about the finances and health of their baby, as well as worried they weren’t spending enough time with their child. The researchers argued that even 12 weeks of paid leave wasn’t enough to provide mothers with enough recovery time — and crucial emotional bonding time — with their infant.

Indeed, other research has consistently found that new mothers who take extended time off after their child is born are better equipped to fight stress, depression, fatigue, and illness during the big transition in their life. Women who took more than 12 weeks of leave experienced more energy, improved mental and physical health, and a stronger bond with their child — and of course, their children benefited significantly.

This January during his State of the Union address, President Obama emphasized the importance of paid leave. “It’s time we stop treating child care as a side issue or a women’s issue, and treat it like the national economic priority that it is,” he said. Obama has been fighting for a national policy that allows paid leave for parents of newborn children as well as caretakers of elderly, but opponents argue that it’s an economic burden. Interestingly, in states where paid leave experiments have been in place for some time, there is no evidence that paid leave is detrimental to businesses.

While the federal government drags its feet, companies can take the lead in pioneering new standards for family leave. And perhaps this is the beauty of Netflix: Employees are treated like responsible adults and are given the freedom to choose how to create their work-life balance instead of restricted or micro-managed, to the benefit of everyone involved. It’s common sense.