Leave

New benefit trend trades PTO for cash or other benefits

09/08/2025

There’s a new benefit trend some employers are trying—but like anything, it comes with tradeoffs.

Cutting HR’s leave workload with self-service tools

09/08/2025

Managing employee leave has become one of HR’s biggest administrative burdens—complex laws, rising requests and endless manual tracking eat away at already limited bandwidth. At SHRM 2025, Susan Stowell, Marci Cyr and Angel Bennett of the insurance company Unum argued that digital self-service portals can change that equation, reducing compliance headaches, cutting down on employee inquiries and giving HR more time to focus on strategy.

How to turn leave into a smooth, compliant process by utilizing tech

08/18/2025

HR teams are stuck juggling outdated systems, limited staffing and rising employee expectations, while employees are often left unclear on their options, timelines or pay. The fastest path to relief? Use technology to streamline leave from start to finish without losing the human touch.

Court rejects ‘indefinite’ ADA leave

08/11/2025

In recent years, federal courts have consistently sided with workers who have run out of leave and still need more time off before returning to work. However, there is a limit to how much time the disabled employee can take off.

Surprise paid leave law hits New Hampshire while Maryland delays theirs

08/11/2025

New Hampshire recently passed an entirely new unpaid leave law, but Maryland has again delayed implementation of theirs.

New state paid leave law changes kick in

08/04/2025

Five states and the District of Columbia have changed their paid leave laws to provide greater protection for workers and greater burdens for employers.

The case against perfect-attendance awards

07/25/2025

With absenteeism a major drain on productivity, more employers are using a trick from the third grade—perfect-attendance awards—to motivate employees to come to work. Here’s why such awards probably aren’t the best carrots.

Extended leave for disabled spouse? Maybe

07/09/2025

Under the ADA, there’s no obligation to reasonably accommodate a spouse’s illness. But a recent case in California under that state’s ADA equivalent may portend a trend.

Paid caregiving leave is still missing from many benefits packages

07/07/2025

Paid parental leave may be common, but its lesser-offered counterpart, paid caregiving leave, is gaining ground as a top employee demand.

House legislation would expand paid family leave

05/19/2025

A bipartisan group of members of Congress have introduced two pieces of legislation that would expand access to paid family leave. The product of two years of work by the House Paid Family Leave Working Group, the twin initiatives would facilitate federal support of state programs.