Check out the sample paid family leave policy language from the Paid Leave for the U.S. campaign (PL+US) for language that you can amend for your own company. 

For an example of a small employer that is leading the way, Bobbie – the organic infant formula company, a startup with ~100 employees – encourages others to borrow language from their paid parental leave policy. Access their full playbook here.

Etsy provides 6 months of paid parental leave to all employees. Learn more about their policy here. 

Federal Paid Leave Provisions

There is no national paid leave program in the United States. The U.S. is the only industrialized nation in the world without national paid leave. The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides 12 weeks of job-protection (without pay) to some employees. 

However, many people are left out of FMLA. To qualify for FMLA, employees must: 1) Have worked for a covered employer for at least 12 months;  2. Have at least 1,250 hours of service for this employer in the past 12 months (equivalent to about 24 hours per week); and 3. Be at a physical work location (“worksite”) where at least 50 employees work within 75 miles. Millions of people (44% of employees) in the U.S. do not qualify even for unpaid leave under FMLA. 

Note that if your workplace policy is only to allow eligible employees to take FMLA, that does not qualify as paid leave, since it is unpaid.

State Paid Leave Laws

As of October 2023, thirteen  states have created statewide paid leave programs  (California, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware, Minnesota and Maine– as well as the District of Columbia)

If your business operates in one or more of these states, it means that your employees can qualify for leave that is partially-paid  by the state (the employee applies for the benefit and receives payment directly from the state). These programs make it easier for small employers, as a significant portion of your employees’ leave will be paid for by the state.

When designing your workplace paid leave policy it is important to look into the percentage of wage-replacement that your state provides. Many employers choose to “top up” and pay the rest of their employee’s salary so that they can receive 100% pay while out on leave (i.e., the state pays 70% of an employee’s leave and the employer may decide to add the remaining 30%).

It is worth noting that all of the state policies provide paid leave for reasons beyond parental leave – these policies also provide coverage for family caregiving (eldercare, caring for a family member with cancer or other serious illness), and personal medical leave. Even if your workplace policy only covers parental leave, it is important to be aware of what your state provides so that you can inform employees of additional payment that they may be eligible for regarding other family caregiving. You may provide employees with unpaid leave for family caregiving (i.e. elder care, caring for a family member with cancer, etc) and they can seek payment from the state for their caregiving time.

More information on state paid leave programs can be found here.

See how your policy stacks up against the paid family leave policies at the largest employers in the U.S. across a range of sectors: 

• Check out theSkimm’s database of over 500 employers’ paid leave policies. 

See Paid Leave for the U.S.’  2018 report of paid leave policies at the largest employers in the U.S. (Note: Policies may have been updated since publication).

When determining the financial impact of expanded paid leave at your workplace, it’s important to take into account both the costs and the benefits (recruitment, retention, etc).

Check out our detailed calculator  to help you determine the cost and benefit of expanding your company’s paid leave policy.

Are you following best practices to ensure your company’s policy is equitable and inclusive? Check out our recommendations to make sure your policy is best-in-class.

Are you an employee who wants to approach HR / Senior Leadership to help advocate for better paid leave for everyone at your workplace? You’re not alone! Employees at large and small companies across the country have used our resources to help improve the paid leave policies at their companies.  

Whether you work for a small or large business, a nonprofit or a corporation, these resources are written so that you can adapt them to your own individual workplace needs:

Step-by-Step Guide to making a case for paid family leave at your workplace

Sample paid leave proposal template.

Paid leave is good for your company’s bottom line. Paid leave provides a critical boost for recruitment, retention, and staff morale.

• According to Deloitte, 77% of respondents said that the amount of parental leave offered by an employer affects their decision when choosing one employer over another. Millennials are more likely to value additional paid leave, and 80% of respondents said they would be happier in their workplace if more paid leave were provided.
  
• Not having high-quality paid leave is costing your company money, due to the high costs of replacing that employee. When workers don’t have access to paid leave, they are more likely to leave their jobs, and on average it costs at least one-fifth of an employee’s salary to replace them.
  
• When Google expanded their parental leave, they saw a 50% decrease in their attrition.
  
• Paid leave increases worker productivity. According to Harvard Business Review, when companies have supportive benefits like paid leave, they see a boost to recruitment, retention, and employee morale and engagement.