Leave

Virginia passes paid family leave for all workers

05/18/2026

Employers and employees will begin paying into the program April 1, 2028, and it will be managed by the Virginia Employment Commission. Employees will begin receiving benefits Dec. 1, 2028. Covered leave reasons largely mirror those available as unpaid leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.

Niche state-leave proposals to watch

04/27/2026

It’s no secret that state and local legislatures are busy filling in the blanks left by Congress when it comes to offering employees time off from work. But recently, some of the legislative proposals have reached farther and aim to create very specialized leaves for niche needs.

Another paid-leave proposal focuses on employer grants

03/30/2026

2026 may yet become the year Washington approves some form of paid leave, if the slew of recently introduced legislative proposals is any indication. This week, we address proposed legislation that relies on grants to employers for implementing paid leave.

Bipartisan bill balances state/federal paid leave

03/23/2026

One of the most frustrating HR problems for employers operating across state lines is managing different state and city paid-leave laws in the absence of at least a federal minimum standard. Now, Congress is considering enacting legislation to help.

Paid-leave mandates reach record number of workers

03/23/2026

Approximately 46 million workers can now take time off for medical care, having or adding a child to their family, and a dizzying array of other reasons, thanks to state and local paid-leave laws enacted over the past two decades.

Study cites heartbreak as a reason for workplace absences

03/09/2026

Romantic breakups are quietly affecting workplace productivity, according to a new survey of 1,020 U.S. workers by career platform Zety. One in three employees say they’ve taken sick leave or PTO to recover from a breakup.

Congress to consider paid leave

03/02/2026

Will this be the year that a federal law will require employers to provide some form of paid leave for workers? It’s too early to tell for certain, but there’s an increasing chance it might happen during the off-year midterm elections as pressure mounts on so-called affordability issues.

Employers double down on leave benefits

02/17/2026

Leave benefits are no longer treated as a static policy line item. New data from the 2025 Absence, Disability and Medical Leave Survey from global advisory firm WTW shows employers actively expanding time-away programs as part of broader efforts to improve the employee experience and compete for talent.

New year brings new employment laws

11/24/2025

It’s that time of year—2025 will soon appear in the rearview mirror, and when the ball drops on New Year’s Eve, new state laws will go into effect. Here’s a summary of some of those laws that may impact your operations.

NYC joins cities expanding paid and unpaid leave

11/17/2025

Continuing a recent trend among cities and states, the New York City Council amended its Earned Safe and Sick Time Act in late October to provide workers with new time-off benefits. This includes 32 hours of unpaid safe and sick time for eligible employees for an expanded number of reasons.