The Paid Leave Imperative
Meeting the growing demand for paid leave benefits and how they can strengthen employer competitiveness
Many employees in today’s workforce will need to take a leave from work at some point in their lives, perhaps to provide care for an ill or incapacitated loved one, or to take time to recover themselves. Even if the leave is for a positive reason, such as welcoming and bonding with a new baby, taking leave can be financially and emotionally daunting.
The US is currently one of only six developed countries in the world without a national paid leave program.1 The continued lack of a national paid leave approach has prompted more states to pass their own paid family and medical leave (PFML) laws.
Just over 6 in 10 employers have workers in states with paid leave legislation. And with the rise of PFML laws, more than 8 in 10 employers say they're moving toward a broad paid leave policy instead of a separate policy approach.
Because employers often have teams spread across multiple states, differences in state leave laws can result in uneven access to paid leave within the same organization. This has led to many organizations creating or expanding their own paid leave policies. Providing the same leave benefits to all workers — whether or not they work in a state with a PFML law — can help them feel cared for and supported by their employers.
Explore the value of expanding paid leave policies in improving parity and workforce well-being, key factors driving employers toward private plans, and how resources such as a paid leave rider and the PFML tax credit can help.