Why Sick Leave Isn’t Enough
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), while 79% of employees have paid sick leave, only 23% have paid family leave.
First, let’s talk about the difference between these two: Sick leave typically entitles people to take time off work when they or a family member are sick or need to see a doctor for preventative care. State-mandated sick leave benefits often top out around 40 hours per year, but paid sick leave is a common benefit even when not required by law. Employees appreciate being able to rest and recover without a ding to their paycheck. Employers win because employees don’t come to work sick and infect coworkers or constituents.
Paid family leave programs generally cover more lengthy illnesses and life events. For example, California’s state-sponsored program provides up to eight weeks of wage replacement benefits in a 12-month period. Benefits can be collected when taking time off for the birth, adoption or foster care placement of a child; to care for a family member with a serious health condition; and to participate in a qualifying event as a result of a family member’s military deployment to a foreign country.
Paid family leave can have an upside for your organization, too. When people feel needed at home, but can’t afford to take unpaid time off, they are distracted, extra stressed, fatigued, and prone to burnout. Their mind isn’t on their job—it’s on the loved one that needs them. When an organization offers paid time off, it makes an investment in its people, a small short-term loss for a big long-term gain. Paid leave allows people to get back to work when they’re actually ready and able to work effectively, and generates feelings of loyalty toward the church or ministry that was there for them when they needed it. Employers who want to attract and retain skilled people often choose to offer various paid leave benefits even when not legally required.
If you determine a paid family leave benefit is something you’d like to offer to your staff, here are our top four recommended practices:
1. Clearly communicate what your paid family leave policy covers.
Define how much money and time is offered and for what reasons. A lot of different benefits can fit under the “family leave” umbrella. Who is eligible for the leave? Does PTO or vacation time need to be exhausted first? To avoid confusion or misunderstanding, be clear about what you offer. Consider including baby bonding, bereavement leave, taking care of an ill or injured family member, and military family leave. Be sure to clarify what each leave can be used for. For example, if you offer paid time off for bereavement, your policy might specify that it can be used following the death of an immediate family member or the loss of a pregnancy.
2. Be sure that you aren’t creating a leave program that’s discriminatory.
To avoid a gender discrimination complaint, provide baby bonding leave for both parents in equal amounts. Baby bonding leave should also be available for an employee who is adopting or fostering a child.
3. Keep different types of leaves separate.
If you also provide paid short-term disability benefits, treat paid leave for baby bonding completely separate. In other words, a pregnant employee would get disability benefits when they’re disabled during and after pregnancy. Then, once they’re no longer disabled or when their disability benefit runs out, their paid family leave for baby bonding starts. Collapsing pregnancy disability and baby bonding leave together could give rise to complaints of disability discrimination or gender discrimination.
4. Encourage use of your paid leave programs.
Sometimes employees are nervous about taking time off—or too much of it—even when offered. They may feel they’re inconveniencing their coworkers or irritating their supervisor—as though paid leave is allowed but may be frowned upon. This is a cultural problem and has a cultural solution. Regularly talk to your employees about the importance of taking time off and celebrate when people do take time off.
Paid family leave is an expensive benefit most organizations overlook, but we believe the value it will bring to your staff is more than worth the cost. It gives people a real option to take time off. It makes it possible for them to balance their obligations at work and at home which leads to happier, healthier staff members who feel truly cared for. Isn’t that what ministry is all about anyway?