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Over the last few years, parental leave has become a critical part of every employees’ workplace wishlist, but while some companies are still struggling to meet demand, others have risen to the occasion.
While 40% of employers offer a standard 12 weeks of maternity leave, only 25% of women take nine weeks or longer — paid or unpaid, according to career insights platform Zippia. For many, a lack of paid maternity leave forces parents to take far less, even when they need it.
Paola Peralta is an Associate Editor at Employee Benefit News and has been with the team for five years. She is a proud UCF journalism graduate who got her start through a Dow Jones News Fund … Read full bio
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The goal is to strike a thoughtful balance that supports employees during important life events while maintaining productivity, managing costs and ensuring equitable access.
While there has been a lot of state and federal headway in leave expansion, qualifying employees are still facing steep costs.
At Sun Life, offerings like paid family medical leave, sabbaticals and flexible work arrangements set top talent up to thrive.
In addition to extending its family leave policy, Heidi Health also assists expectant parents in fully preparing for the before and after of their time away.
Benefit reductions meant to cut costs and even free up funds for AI may be undermining retention, as workers scale back savings and question their employers' priorities.
