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Employers are increasingly offering paid parental leave, which includes maternity leave, paternity leave and adoption leave. According to a 2020 Society for Human Resource Management article, “Over half of employers (55 percent) now offer paid maternity leave, 45 percent offer paid paternity leave and 35 percent provide paid extended family care leave.”
Paid parental leave can help you attract and retain talent and increase employee well-being and engagement. However, before you offer this type of leave, make sure you have a policy in place. Below are tips for developing the policy.
Explain the purpose of the policy
Generally, paid parental leave enables employees to take time off from work (with pay) for the purpose of caring for and bonding with their newborn biological child, newly adopted child or newly placed foster child.
Define ‘parent’
State which parents can take advantage of paid parental leave. For example, a parent may include:
If both parents are employed by your company, state whether only one or both of them can take parental leave.
Describe the eligibility parameters
State what conditions an employee must meet in order to qualify for paid parental leave, in addition to being a “parent” as defined by the policy.
For example, eligibility requirements may include the following:
State the maximum amount, time period, duration and other details of paid parental leave
This may include:
Additional policy considerations
Finally, note that family leave is not just good policy—it’s increasingly becoming the law. With the passage of the Time to Care Act of 2022, Maryland joins 10 states, including the District of Columbia, to require some level of paid family leave. Other states have already passed family leave laws that will take effect in the near future.
Work with HR professionals to craft a policy that both helps your employees and follows the relevant laws.
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