Leave

Understand paid and unpaid state-level family and medical leave laws

03/19/2025

You are probably pretty good about letting employees know how much leave they have available under your paid-time-off plan. You’re no doubt diligent about granting FMLA leave for which they are eligible. However, are you fully familiar with opportunities for paid or unpaid family and medical leave mandated by states? Are your employees?

Create guardrails to make unlimited paid leave work

01/27/2025

In theory, the idea of offering employees unlimited leave should be a great incentive to encourage retention. Who would want to give up unlimited leave for a paltry one or two weeks of vacation and a bit of sick leave? As is often the case, the devil is in the details when it comes to unlimited paid-time-off benefits.

Here come the new state employment laws for 2025

12/06/2024

States are emerging as prime sources of new employment-related laws. Here is a sampling of new laws scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, or soon after.

DOL research shows nationwide paid family and medical leave could reduce poverty

12/02/2024

According to the Urban Institute, the adoption of national paid family and medical leave providing workers up to 12 weeks to care for themselves or a loved one could mean 97% of workers are eligible for benefits.

3 more states mandate paid sick leave

11/18/2024

Voters in Alaska, Missouri and Nebraska on Nov. 5 overwhelmingly approved ballot measures requiring employers to provide paid sick leave. Those states will join 15 others and the District of Columbia that already mandate paid sick leave.

Prepare for questions on Trump’s HR-related promises

11/08/2024

After President-elect Trump takes office on Jan. 20, 2025, expect a flurry of new policy proposals affecting HR and employment law—and efforts to roll back many of the Biden administration’s policies.

Survey: Unlimited PTO doesn’t significantly increase leave-taking

10/28/2024

According to 2023 research by the Society for Human Resource Management, only about 8% of employers place no limits on employee leave. Many no doubt worry their employees would abuse unlimited PTO. A new survey may help allay those fears.

PWFA: Routinely grant requests for leave to attend pregnancy-related appointments

10/16/2024

EEOC rules implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act say employers should routinely grant pregnant employees’ requests for time off to attend pregnancy-related medical appointments. It’s so clear-cut that one employer just quickly agreed to settle when the EEOC threatened to file a failure-to-accommodate lawsuit under the PWFA.

Time off to vote? It may be required in your state

10/15/2024

There is no federal law that requires employers to provide voting leave. Whether you provide paid time off depends on your policies and whether you are in a jurisdiction that requires it.

Provide any form of short-term leave? Better cover military leave, too

09/20/2024

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act requires employers that provide any form of short-term leave to also grant leave to members of the National Guard and military reserves so they can take time off for training or short deployments. In doing so, the 9th Circuit joined several other federal circuits in finding that USERRA requires employers to provide such leave.