In 2016, for the first time ever, the presidential candidates of both major political parties proposed plans for paid family leave. Doing so raised the profile of the issue, sparking an ongoing national debate about who should ultimately bear the responsibility of more comprehensive leave policies—state and federal governments, employers or both.
As Business Report details in a new feature, President Donald Trump requested bipartisan support for policies that ensure parents have access to paid family leave in a February address to Congress. Until the federal government’s ultimate role—if any—is decided, employers are left in a regulatory no man’s land about a benefit employees increasingly desire.
“In Louisiana, it is not something the entire state has picked up on and implemented, but it is something being heavily considered by companies that know the value of it,” says Lakeisha Robichaux, CEO of Chief of Minds, a Baton Rouge-based human resources management and business strategy firm.
In recent months, about half of her clients have expressed interest in adding paid family leave benefits for their employees, says Robichaux. “Others are not as aware of it,” she adds, “so we are initiating conversations about it to gauge their interest.”
Still, the benefit remains something of a rarity in the workplace; only 13% of all private sector employees have access to paid family leave, according to a 2016 report published by the U.S. Department of Labor.
A company’s ability to offer paid family leave—like most things in business—comes down to money. Yet the return on that investment is increased employee retention and the ability to attract high-quality workers who likely have competing employment options, says Sandy Michelet, human resources director at Sparkhound.
“Anytime individuals are looking to join a company, or stay with a company, they are going to look at the reward,” she says. “They are going to look at the work environment and the work that they get to do, and then the package they use to take care of themselves and their family.”
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