Design Element 2
WHO WILL THE PAID FAMILY & MEDICAL LEAVE POLICY COVER?
Decisions to Be Made
Consider which employee groups will be eligible for paid family & medical leave.
- Which job positions / functions will be eligible? (e.g., both salaried and hourly, both full-time and part-time, all levels of the organization)
- Will a certain tenure be required? (e.g., 1+ year of tenure required to be eligible)
How to Approach These Decisions
Understand the needs of different cohorts - If paid leave is requested equally by employees across different cohorts, there is a strong case to offer the benefit across the full workforce
- Analyze your most recent employee survey results by employee type, to understand if/how group interests differ
- If data is not already available, consider launching a short survey to gather data on these needs and preferences
- Consider holding a focus group with a diverse set of workers, or multiple focus groups
Consider the values statement you wish to make - Recognize that employee coverage can be interpreted internally and externally as a statement of your company values
- Determine if it is feasible to cover both salaried and hourly workers to reinforce values about equality and the importance of all employees to your business
- Determine if it is possible to provide coverage for all types of parenting / caregiving arrangements to reinforce values of inclusion and the diversity of contemporary families
REAL COMPANY EXAMPLES
Company A: Wanted to signal that the company highly values its hourly staff, who make up over 50% of its workforce. Covered both salaried and hourly workers.
Company B: Employee survey results showed paid parental leave was a top priority for salaried employees, but not for hourly workers. To address its employees' top needs, the company created a paid parental leave policy for HQ only, focusing on different benefits programs for hourly employees.
Company C: Covered all employees under a new parental leave policy with a tiered system to reward long-standing employees. Its policy offers workers with 3+ years of tenure 4 more weeks of paid leave.