Why Paid Family Leave is Imperative for the Workforce Today
During the pandemic, many workers had increased trouble balancing work and family care. In fact, Many U.S. workers have caregiving responsibilities for infants and small children, as well as parents and other older relatives, which means the lack of paid family leave at low and moderate income jobs exacerbate inequality. (Equitable Growth).
With the unemployment rate at one of its lowest in years, extending PTO (paid time off) for family and caregiving is one of the most important ways to support your employees in the new endemic era.
At 9Dot, we are extremely passionate about paid leave to support our staff. We spoke with Floralyn Melendez-Daley, Recruitment Client Service Supervisor at 9Dot, to talk about her experience with paid family leave at 9Dot.
“My mother had illnesses in July 2021 and we took her in that week, and we had to have surgery as soon as possible.” Floralyn began. “My manager knew about it and I was taking half a PTO here and there. My manager then suggested taking Family Medical Parental Leave and said I could take intermittent leave.”
Paid family leave is covered by federal and state laws.
- The California Family Rights Act (CFRA) provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to care for their own serious health condition or a family member with a serious health condition, or to bond with a new child (CA Dept of Fair Employment & Housing).
- The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave (US Dept of Labor).
“I didn’t know about it until my employer recognized my need and told me about it,” she added.
Employers who have strong relationships with their employees are much more likely to spot inconsistencies and difficulties that may arise. In this case, Floralyn had a great connection with her manager and was able to learn about the resources available to help her during a difficult time.
Offering generous paid leave allows employees to be with their family in moments that matter and support them as a whole being.
“It was a simple process,” Floralyn added. “The Leaves department reached out to me directly to talk about this. We scheduled a call and talked about the situation. They mentioned that I was eligible. My mom’s doctor got to fill out the paperwork and I was able to be there for all the important moments.
My mom told me, “I couldn’t have done it without you being here”.
The Benefits/Leaves team and my manager were just great and were there with me throughout the process.”
With the new era of work, employers are now seeing that employees need a balanced work schedule and flexibility to support themselves and their families. Offering your staff time off demonstrates trust and care in your employees, which builds a stronger relationship in the long-run.
“It was nice to not have the guilt from my employer,” said Floralyn. “I was able to take time off and they were supportive the whole way through.
It was a lifesaver for me mentally, and I couldn’t have done it without my manager. It allowed me to be a whole employee and not allow clients to be affected by it.”
Putting pressure on your staff to work while in a difficult situation can be costly. Intangible losses also come into play when workers aren’t at their best:
- Lack of attention may lead to workplace safety concerns
- Apathy can cause customer service and satisfaction to suffer
- Decreased creativity and productivity can stifle innovation (Deloitte).
It is vital to provide space and time for your employees to take care of themselves and their families to feel healthy enough to work on the job.
“As a service provider, I was still able to provide for my candidates and clients,” Floralyn concluded. “Having a good manager who was a partner was super important. On the days that I was off, she would help pick up on the days for me. It’s important to have a team that can have backup.
I was able to be connected and flexible with my family. It made me feel balanced.”
Ultimately, paid leave for all employees improves the overall health and development of the family member and employee while leaving minimal negative impacts on employers. Providing paid family leave could benefit all members and boost business economic growth and stability in the long run.
HR professionals are now revamping benefits and rewards packages outside of financial compensation to support this new era of work.
While providing generous benefits can appear costly, it is a worthwhile investment in your team. Caring for your employees reaps immense benefits on your organization’s economic and cultural outcomes.
