Paid Leave

SHRM: No real increase in paid family leave

In 2015, tech giants Netflix, Microsoft and Amazon all announced paid family leave programs for their employees. Many speculated that this would start a paid leave arms race among top employers. It didn’t… the move was more flash in the pan than watershed.

Everyone should have a shot at paid family leave

But paid family leave isn’t just critical for public health, it’s also critical for a healthy economy. Paid family leave increases labor-force participation for both men and women, encouraging parents to stay in the workforce after they have a child or when they need time away to care for a loved one.

Moms turn to crowdfunding to pay for maternity leave

The trend of maternity crowdfunding is pointing to a need for better federal paid maternity leave policies that help women take the necessary time they need when they have a child,” Sara Margulis, CEO of Honeyfund.com, said. Debra L. Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families, agrees. “This is evidence of our failure as a nation to adopt policies that provide the basic supports that all workers need at some point in their lives and nearly every other country provides.

It’s Time To Level The Playing Field

I think we can all agree that becoming a caregiver, whether to a new baby or a family member, is a huge undertaking. As an executive business leader of a highly successful tech company, and mother to four, I know what it’s like to make decisions about time management, finances, and spending time with your family. It’s not easy.

Who’s paying for family leave? In many cases, taxpayers

About 8 of 10 workers who took leave and received either no or a portion of their pay said they had to cut back on spending to make ends meet…[a]cross all incomes, almost 2 out of 10 leave-takers went on public assistance. Low-income workers feel the most pain when it comes to figuring out how to pay for leave…[a]lmost half delayed paying their bills and went on public assistance.

FAMILY Act could benefit small businesses, Heitkamp says

Heitkamp believes [the FAMILY Act] will benefit… small business owners who sometimes struggle to provide paid family leave to their employees… Linda Steve, a semi-retired certified public accountant, said… “This is not a gender-specific issue, this is a person issue…[whether it’s] the birth of the child or the health condition of a parent or a child or a spouse, [having paid leave] makes them a much better employee.”

Paid family leave: Looking to the states

The key lesson from the states that have taken the bold step of implementing paid family leave is that the evidence is clear: paid leave is a good thing not just for families, but also for businesses and the economy as a whole. Building on existing social insurance systems has worked well for the states, and represents a promising model for expanding access to paid leave to all Americans.

New survey reveals how small businesses feel about paid family and medical leave – SURMEDICA

Duke Energy to provide paid parental leave – Charlotte Observer

“Paid parental leave will give Duke Energy employees important quality time to bond with their new children without the financial pressure of having to immediately return to work. That’s good for our employees and their children,” Melissa Anderson, Duke Energy executive vice president and chief human resources officer, said in a statement.