Leave

Bereavement leave: How to manage time off when an employee’s loved one dies

04/26/2023

Is HR’s focus on leave related to childbirth misplaced? According to the Census Bureau, there were more deaths than births in most U.S. counties during the 12 months that ended June 30, 2022. Any employer that offers reasonable bereavement leave—especially paid leave—sets itself apart as a workplace that values work-life balance.

Feel free to contact worker who’s on sick leave

04/03/2023

Employers should make it a point not to pester employees who are out on sick leave or ask them to perform work during their time off. However, that general principle doesn’t mean employers are absolutely forbidden to seek basic information from employees who are out sick.

As calls for nationwide paid leave grow, several states already have laws on the books

03/27/2023

Momentum is growing to offer paid family and medical leave as a nationwide benefit. The White House’s fiscal year 2024 budget request called on Congress to appropriate $325 billion to fund up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave. 11 states and the District of Columbia already have laws that create a paid leave entitlement for eligible workers.

Is it time to force employees to use PTO?

03/23/2023

Now is the time to tell employees to submit their requests for time they want to take off for summer vacation. But what if workers are slow to schedule vacation time or insist on taking just a day or two off around the 4th of July instead of taking a full week off? That’s far more disruptive for supervisors.

Did PWFA create right for new moms to take maternity leave? EEOC hints it might have

03/13/2023

According to newly released guidance from the EEOC, new parents may be entitled to “reasonable accommodations” during recovery in the form of unpaid time off under the recently enacted Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The new federal law takes effect June 27.

Managers: Encourage employees to take vacation time

03/03/2023

When was the last time you used your PTO to take a vacation? If you’re like most Americans, it’s likely been a while, as 55% of workers don’t use all their paid time off. But encouraging your employees to use their time off is a win for you and for them.

55% don’t use all their PTO leave

02/27/2023

We’re leaving an awful lot of leave on the table!

4 steps toward more flexible time-off benefits

02/21/2023

Work flexibility and time off are more important to employees than ever before. Many employers made changes on the fly to their time-off programs during the pandemic. Now is a good time to take stock of your programs and policies and look for opportunities to improve competitiveness and ensure compliance. Here are four things employers can do to add flexibility to their time-off policies right now.

SHRM calls for national paid leave system

02/21/2023

The Society for Human Resource Management has released what it calls a framework for a national paid leave system that “has the potential to increase access to compensated leave for workers and achieve continuity with benefits offered by employers in different states and jurisdictions.”

Sleep is overrated: Zillow expands parental leave

12/20/2022

Parental leave is among the benefits that interest working women most, according to a 2022 summer survey by the insurance broker Breeze.