Over the last decade, paid parental leave went from a perk to a standard — offered by just 25% of employers in 2015 to nearly 75% today. But recently, some high-profile companies have reversed course, trimming or eliminating their policies as benefit budgets come under pressure.
Before you put paid parental leave on the chopping block, do you actually know what it's costing you — and what cutting it will really save? The math may surprise you. In many states, your employer benefit is simply topping up a mandated state paid family leave program — meaning cuts only reduce the top-up, not the base. And the indirect costs of cutting — lost trust, disengagement, and turnover — are real, even if they don't show up on a spreadsheet.
Paid parental leave is no longer a differentiator — it's an expectation. The decision to reduce it deserves more than a line-item review, explore our four things to consider before your organization takes action.