It’s the day after. I didn’t get much sleep, but I’m OK with that. After a shower, I wake my four-year-old daughter, make her breakfast, pack her lunch, and take her to school.

When I get home, my wife has just finished feeding our daughter Lindy, who was born yesterday. I take over from here so my wife can rest.

Being a dad to a newborn is hard, but you strive to do the best you can. Give as much love as you have. Play whenever you can. Take care of your baby whenever you’re needed. And you’re always needed. During those first few days and weeks (and even months), work was not my top priority, and I’m grateful to be part of Citrix — a company that recognizes the importance of family.

Citrix provides 18 weeks of 100 percent-paid leave — including benefits — for full-time employees who are new parents (for births and adoptions). The time away gives new moms and dads the opportunity to bond with their children without worrying about work.

The author with his daughter Lindy.

“How’s your job at Citrix, Ingmar?”

I get that question a lot when I run into people I haven’t seen in a while. My answer is easy: I enjoy my job, and Citrix is a great place to work.

But what makes it great?

One reason, for me, is that Citrix recognizes the important role a father plays in the lives of his children. Thanks to Citrix’s parental leave, I was able to take time away with my family after my daughter was born. We were able to give everyone the attention they needed, which can be tough with a newborn. I took my four-year-old daughter to school every morning and picked her up every afternoon. We talked about her day and had one-on-one time while my wife was with the baby.

I cuddled with Lindy, sang her to sleep, and changed diapers while my wife was resting or just taking time away. I rode my mountain bike on the local trails while Lindy slept. I did maintenance on the house and rebuilt our garden.

Did I think about my work at Citrix while I was on leave? Definitely! I’m part of an amazing team (thank you for the gifts Thomas!), and I care about my role at the company. I stayed in touch with my team and did some work when I felt it was needed, but I didn’t prioritize it over my family. I took work/life balance to a whole new level.

The Citrix culture was one of the reasons I joined the company in 2014. It’s built on five values — Integrity, Respect, Curiosity, Courage, and Unity — that guide us and help us answer questions like, “What do you believe in?”

At Citrix, we believe in diversity and inclusion. Supporting new parents — mothers and fathers — during this exciting (and nerve-wracking and tiring) time is just part of what we do and who we are as a company.

We’ve set an ambitious goal at Citrix: be seen, globally, as one of the Top 100 Great Places to Work. The competition is, obviously, world-class. But there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be at the top of that prestigious list. Through initiatives like parental leave, we live our values every day so new parents like me get time we can’t have back and wouldn’t want to miss.