Why employers should add SAFE leave to their PTO options

It's important to give employees the option to take the time to celebrate their best days, but it's equally as important to offer them the same support when they're facing the harder days, too. 

One in four women and one in nine men experience severe intimate partner violence in their lifetime, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Employers can make these situations a little less stressful by having a policy where workers are allowed to take paid-time off, called SAFE leave, during a time of crisis.

"These employees don't get to choose when they're experiencing some form of intimate partner violence," says Deborah Hanus, CEO of Sparrow, an end-to-end leave management platform. "They don't get to choose when the right moment is to escape, and it's often an extremely difficult process to leave these relationships." 

Read more: New PTO policies signal the future of employee benefits

SAFE leave, which is short for safe time and sick leave, allows employees to use their accrued sick leave for personal safety concerns, including those stemming from domestic violence, sexual assault and other serious crimes. SAFE leave gives employees the time they need to seek medical attention for injuries, attend court hearings for protective orders, meet with law enforcement, find a safe house and access counseling services without having to worry about job protection because sick time is federally protected unlike other forms of leave.  

"In theory, you could just use your sick leave even if your company doesn't have a SAFEleave policy," she says. "But what if someone sees you and discovers that you're not sick? If you value your job, you want to be able to follow the rules and know that there's something intended here." 

Currently, only 15 states — including California, Arizona and New York — require employers to offer a SAFE option to their workforce. Hanus would like to see this requirement expand to other states considering the overwhelming need combined with the fact that it does not cost employers anything out of pocket to offer a SAFE leave option. Some of the challenges, she theorizes, are awareness and stigma.  

"It is definitely a lesser known leave despite the fact that it impacts a huge number of employees," she says. "We recommend it to all of our clients. If you have a company of more than 10 people, within five years statistically you will have someone who could be a user of safe leave and those moments matter." 

Read more: Parental leave, PTO and job protection: 10 countries with the best labor laws

As for the stigma still associated with domestic violence, many companies may not want to draw attention to the issue for the victim's sake or to avoid crossing a personal boundary. Because of that, Hanus and her team always suggest employers offer SAFE leave for victims of all crimes and add domestic violence as an example. That way, employees don't feel the need to divulge their situation explicitly if they don't feel comfortable. 

To start the process of adding SAFE leave, Hanus urges employers to ask their current leave management providers about whether the option exists. If it doesn't, many third-party platforms such as Sparrow have online resources available. She also encourages employees — both those in need of help and allies — to bring the issue forward to their workplaces and start the conversation internally. 

"There's no real reason for companies not to get the clock started on this," Hanus says. "As there's been more and more conversation around paid leave and employee support I do think that this is something that is only going to become more important and more impactful until it's federally regulated."