All About Absence: Paid Family and Medical Leave

All About Absence: Paid Family and Medical Leave

Understanding PFML

As new leave laws continue to pass across the United States, we can help your clients navigate this complex landscape.
All About Absence: Paid Family and Medical Leave

The State of PFML

The U.S. is the only industrialized country that does not have a federal paid family and medical leave (PFML) program. The paid leave landscape continues to rapidly evolve as more states pass and implement new leave laws to fill that gap. Employers say there is no easy way to track and manage all the leave types applicable to their workers, creating a need for more support.
 

What Your Clients Need To Know About PFML

Paid leave programs can vary depending on location, but the trend for more paid time off is accelerating. Your clients should be aware that:
 
  • PFML programs are generally funded through payroll deductions from employees, employer contributions or a combination of both.1
  • States may have different names for their paid leave programs. The length of leave and weekly pay benefits also vary.1
  • According to a recent survey of both public and private sector employees, only 58% of employees report having any paid time off – even as little as a single day - to care for a seriously ill family member.2
  • Millions of adults provide unpaid care for older adults, and many of those caregivers also have jobs.2
  • The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that between 2021 and 2031, the number of workers ages 55 and older will increase to almost 41.5 million workers.3 As our workforce ages, the need for various types of leave support, like caregiver leave, will increase.
Leer más about PFML and the impacts to your clients’ business. 
 

A Partner for Absence Management

As a leader in PFML, we have the experience to help your clients navigate this changing landscape and minimize its impact on employees. We offer fully insured coverage and self-insured administrative services with multiple funding and enriched coverage options, where allowed by the state, and can help you understand your private or state plan options.
 
When discussing PFML in the workplace with your clients, you should ask:
 
  • Do they have a consistent process for operationalizing PFML administration?
  • Can they coordinate administration of Family Medical Leave (FMLA), state unpaid leaves, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), short-term disability (STD), workers’ compensation (WC) and state PFML?
  • Do they provide HR and managers with PFML training?
  • Have they done a cost benefit analysis between going with their state paid leave program or a private plan?
  • Have they considered the employee experience if they remain in the state program and the coordination of other employment laws that are running concurrently, such as FMLA, state unpaid leave and company paid leave policies?
Visite nuestro PFML Resource Center to understand how we can help your clients navigate this ever-changing landscape.

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All About Absence: FMLA
Three decades after its signing, this ground-breaking law is still an important part of your clients’ absence management program.
 
 
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1 The Hartford: What To Know About Paid Family and Medical Leave. Viewed August 2023.
 
2 U.S. Department of Labor: Women’s Bureau: Paid Family and Medical Leave Fact Sheet. Viewed August 2023.
 
3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Celebrating National Employ Older Workers Week 2023. Viewed November 2023.
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