paid leave Archives

Who Qualifies for Paid Leave Under the New Coronavirus Law?

by LizStevens | May 20, 2020 | Blog

Who qualifies for paid leave under the new coronavirus law? How to determine employee eligibility for paid sick leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

The U.S. Department of Labor released information on eligibility for new workplace protections offered by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

The emergency paid leave program established by the FFCRA helps employees who don’t have paid leave benefits through their employer. Nearly 80 percent of employees live paycheck to paycheck and over 30 percent couldn’t come up with $3,000 if an unexpected expense arose in the next month. Now, employees showing symptoms of the coronavirus will be able to take the time off they need to recover without worrying about being unable to support their families.

Employees who work at a private employer with fewer than 500 employees might be eligible for paid sick leave and/or paid family leave under the FFCRA due to COVID-19 if they meet certain requirements.

Who Qualifies for Paid Leave Under the New Coronavirus Law?

The Department of Labor notes that paid sick leave and/or paid family leave under the FFCRA is capped at specific maximum amounts per worker and that while it applies to some, paid family leave does not apply to all public sectors.

Who Qualifies for Paid Sick Leave Under the FFCRA?

Employees qualify for paid sick leave for up to two weeks or 80 hours at the employee’s regular rate or the minimum wage (whichever is higher) if one of the following conditions apply:

If the employee is under a government quarantine or stay-at-home order.
If the employee has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine.
If the employee is seeking a diagnosis for COVID-19 symptoms.

Employees qualify for paid sick leave up to two weeks or 80 hours at 2/3 of the employee’s regular rate or the minimum wage (whichever is higher) if one of the following conditions apply:

If the employee is caring for somebody under quarantine or a stay-at-home order.
If the employee is caring for their child whose school or child care provider is unavailable due to COVID-19.

Who Qualifies for Paid Family Leave Under the FFCRA?

Employees qualify for paid family leave up to 10 additional weeks at 2/3 of the employee’s regular rate if both of the following conditions apply:

If the employee is caring for their child whose school or child care provider is unavailable due to COVID-19; and
If the employee has been employed at least 30 calendar days.

How Can Eligible Employees Access Paid Leave Under the FFCRA?

Eligible workers can access paid leave under the FFCRA by checking with their employer, requesting the leave and letting their employer know which of the qualifying conditions applies.

The U.S. Department of Labor notes the Wage and Hour Division has already completed more than 400 cases for workers denied leave and has conducted hundreds of outreach events to educate workers and employers about the benefits and protections of this new law.

For more information about how much leave covered employees can take, resources for workers and employers, and answers to commonly asked questions check dol.gov/FFCRA.

Top 10 Employee Benefits for 2020

by LizStevens | Jul 19, 2019 | Blog

Top 10 employee benefits for 2020. HR trends forecast the most desired employee benefits for 2020 like pet perks, flex work and financial wellness programs.

It’s time to start building your organization’s employee benefits for 2020.

Companies can reduce turnover by nearly 140 percent with the right mix of benefits, according to research from Paycor. The annual employee benefits survey from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) provides data on the prevalence of benefits over time to help employers determine which employee benefits are most in-demand and which ones are phasing out.

Here is our list of the top 10 employee benefits for 2020:

Top 10 Employee Benefits for 2020

#10 Pet-Friendly Employee Benefits

Fifteen percent of companies now offer some form of pet health insurance. Health insurance for pets is a benefit that’s grown 6 percent since 2015 (4 percent of that was just this last year). Some companies have gone as far as offering paid time off or the flexibility to work from home for employees who adopt a pet, referred to affectionately as ‘paw-ternity leave.’

#9 The Benefits of Paid Leave

Almost 80 percent of employees live paycheck to paycheck. Without an emergency savings account to fall back on, employees turn to credit cards to cover unexpected expenses or reduce spending on other things, like necessary healthcare. Ninety-four percent of low-income employees do not have access to paid family leave, and they are the employees who need it most.

Paid leave is on the national legislative agenda in this congressional cycle, as Oregon recently became the eighth state to adopt a paid family and medical leave policy. It’s worth exploring organizational costs and strategies for paid leave benefits as the debate plays out on the national stage.

#8 Transportation Benefits for Employees

Nearly half of workers consider their commute to be the worst part of their day and one in five employees say they are ‘regularly late’ for work due to travel disruptions. Companies like Apple have started to provide commuting reimbursements or company shuttles to help ease the angst over commutes. It’s a smart strategy to attract and retain talent in a tight labor market.

#7 Flexible Scheduling Benefits

More than 10 percent of employees quit because of a poor work-life balance regarding their company’s schedule, commute, flexibility or travel. Flexible scheduling makes a big difference for new parents, caretakers, students, employees with ongoing health issues and employees with long commutes.

Flexible work schedules give employees some sort of control over when and where they work. It establishes a level of trust with their employer and allows them to be there for friends and family when it matters most.

#6 Family Planning Benefits for Employees

More employers are offering family-friendly benefits like paid maternity leave and fertility services to attract and retain employees. It’s not just big corporations either, 10 percent of employers with 50 or fewer employees offer some sort of fertility benefit (up from 4 percent in 2016). Egg harvesting or freezing, in-vitro fertilization treatments, paid paternity leave and emergency/sick childcare are just a few of the family-friendly benefits growing as part of the larger trend to expand work-life balance policies.

#5 Tech Benefits for Employees

SHRM found over 50 percent of employers provide a company-owned business cell phone/smartphone for business and personal use. More than 40 percent offer subsidies for cell phone/smartphone bills for employee-owned devices. Surprisingly, nearly 15 percent of organizations offer free computers for employees’ personal use. Tech benefits ensure that employees have the right equipment to get the work done whether they’re in the office, traveling or working remotely.

#4 Transgender-Inclusive Healthcare Benefits

The International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans (IFEBP) found nearly 30 percent of employers now offer transgender-inclusive benefits, like coverage of sex-reassignment surgery or subsidies for cosmetic procedures, such as electrolysis, mastectomy and Adam’s apple reduction surgery.

“Employers are increasingly recognizing the importance of LGBT benefits,” says Julie Stich, associate vice president, content, for the IFEBP in Brookfield, Wisconsin. “The growing awareness of LGBT rights has made its way into the workplace, and organizations are adjusting the design of their benefits programs and the language of their diversity policies to be inclusive of LGBT employees and their families.”

#3 Student Loan Debt Repayment Programs

There’s no way to ignore the massive student loan debt crisis in America. Employers have been developing solutions to help employees who are struggling to pay down their share of the more than $1.5 trillion in student loan debt. Some companies are allowing workers to transfer up to five days of paid time off for payments against student loan debt. Other programs offer student loan refinancing or allow employers to match employee 401(k) contributions with student loan repayments.

#2 Mental Health Employee Benefits

Nearly a quarter of U.S. workers have been diagnosed with depression and 40 percent of them take an average of 10 days off from work each year because of their mental illness, according to the American Psychiatric Association (APA). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates depression and anxiety cost the global economy $1 trillion each year in lost productivity. The good news? WHO also estimates that for every $1 put into scaled up treatment for common mental disorders, there is a return of $4 in improved health and productivity.

Employers can minimize the effects of mental illness in the workplace by identifying work-related risk factors and simplifying access to mental health benefits.

Top 10 Employee Benefits for 2020: Financial Wellness Programs Are #1

Money causes the most stress in the lives of almost 60 percent of employees, according to the latest report by PwC. It was the top choice for life stressor across all generations, well ahead of issues with jobs, relationships, and health. More than 30 percent of employees say their health has been impacted by their financial worries.

When PwC asked respondents what employer benefit they don’t currently have but would like, one in four employees said they want a financial wellness program with an unbiased counselor. Research by Paycor found that financial wellness benefits appeal to all age groups.

Financial wellness programs, like Best Money Moves, give employees personalized tools to help them better manage their money, pay off their debts, build their savings and plan for retirement.

More on Trends in Employee Benefits

Hiring Trends to Watch in 2020

Choosing the Most Important Benefits to Employees in 2020

10 Easy Ways to Improve Your Office Culture

4 Big Employee Benefits Trends for Family Planning

What Benefits Do Employees Want in the New Year?

Top 10 Workplace Etiquette Rules for Communication

Building Office Culture with Diversity and Inclusion

5 Must-Have Benefits for Millennial Employees

by LizStevens | May 22, 2019 | Blog

Two million students will graduate with a bachelor’s degree this year and enter the workforce. MAVY Poll surveyed recent graduates on behalf of the American Institute of CPAs to determine which employee benefits would most help them achieve their financial goals as they begin their job search.

“The job market, and therefore the employee benefits market, is constantly evolving. These days, finding the perfect job is about a lot more than money,” says Gregory J. Anton, Chairman of AICPA’s National CPA Financial Literacy Commission.

Top 5 Must-Have Employee Benefits for Millennials

5. 401(k) Retirement Fund Match was in the top three desired employee benefits for more than 35 percent of millennials. Recently, it’s become clear most Americans have not saved enough for retirement, if they’ve saved any at all, which might be motivating millennials to prioritize retirement funding.

“By beginning to save towards retirement as early as possible, new graduates will benefit from decades of compounding growth. Time is an asset, and those just starting their career are in a prime position to take advantage of it,” says Anton.

4. Working Remotely was in the top three benefits for nearly 40 percent of millennials. Flexible work schedules have become the new norm and millennial employees expect to have some sort of control over when and where they work.

3. Student Loan Forgiveness was an important employee benefit for over 40 percent of millennials. AICPA found nearly two-thirds of young adult job seekers have student loan debt, with an average debt of $33,332.

2. Paid Time Off was a benefits priority for 45 percent of millennials. General Mills recently overhauled their paid leave policy by tripling the length of paid maternity and paternity leave, introducing paid caregiver leave, and boosting bereavement and short-term disability benefits. Sharon DeTaeye, senior manager of human resources specialist operations at General Mills, says, “It’s an ongoing process, but we’re encouraged by the results we have seen so far.”

1. Health Insurance was the benefit millennials felt would most help them achieve their financial goals. Research by the West Health Institute/NORC at the University of Chicago found more than 40 percent of Americans didn’t see a physician when they were sick or injured because of high healthcare costs. Comprehensive healthcare plans that reduce out of pocket costs for employees will be highly attractive to millennial employees.

Millennials Split $100 Towards Employee Benefits

Millennials with student loan debt were asked to split $100 between paying a portion of their student loan debt versus a specific benefit and in all cases they preferred their employer put more money towards paying their student loan debt. Job seekers allocated $60-$80 towards student loan debt and the remaining $20-$40 towards a specific benefit like health insurance, paid time off, tuition reimbursement, life insurance, 401(k) retirement fund match and daycare.

More on Millennials and Employee Benefits

What are the Latest Trends in Benefits Strategies?

4 Big Employee Benefits Trends for Family Planning

What Benefits Do Employees Want in 2019?

Stress, Money and Millennials: Where’s the Pain Point?

Why Are Millennials so Distracted at Work?

Your Millennial Employees Aren’t Buying Homes Now. Here’s Why:

Millennial Employees’ Lifestyles Depend On Side Hustle

4 Big Employee Benefits Trends for Family Planning

by LizStevens | Apr 30, 2019 | Blog

4 big employee benefits trends for family planning. What you need to know about family-friendly employee benefits like fertility services, paid maternity leave and childcare assistance.

More employers are offering family-friendly benefits like paid maternity leave and fertility services to attract employees in today’s competitive labor market, according to a report from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans.

“Employers are recognizing that all employees have lives and commitments outside of the workplace and are expanding their benefits to be more inclusive. These types of benefits help employees address work-life conflicts, while keeping them productive and engaged at work,” explained Julie Stitch, CEBS, associate vice president of content at the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. “I expect we’ll see family-friendly benefits continue to grow as part of the larger trend of expanding work-life balance policies.’”

Family Planning Employee Benefits for Fertility

Fertility benefits aren’t just for big corporations anymore. Ten percent of employers with 50 or fewer employees offer some sort of fertility benefit (up from 4 percent in 2016). More than 30 percent of employers with 500 or more employees offer fertility benefits (up from 24 percent in 2016). Employers most commonly offer:

In-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments (23 percent)
Fertility medications (18 percent)
Genetic testing to determine infertility issues (15 percent)
Non-IVF fertility treatments (13 percent)
Visits with fertility counselors (9 percent)
Egg harvesting or freezing services (7 percent)

Paid Leave Benefits Are Expanding

Paid leave offerings are expanding as employers strive to meet the demands of employees’ personal lives. Maternity leave is offered by more than 40 percent of employers of all sizes, from employers who manage fewer than 50 employees to companies with more than 10,000 employees. More than 30 percent of employers now offer paternity leave (up from 24 percent in 2016) and more than 20 percent offer paid adoption leave.

It’s important to note employers are providing additional types of leave for different situations, for example:

Paid family/caregiving leave (17 percent)
Paid leave to attend a child’s activities (8 percent)
Unpaid family leave (34 percent offer this beyond FMLA requirements)
Unpaid adoption leave (26 percent)
Unpaid leave to attend a child’s activities (25 percent)

Flexible Scheduling Benefits for Parents

Flexible scheduling is a must, especially for parents. More than half of employers offer flexible work hours or compressed work weeks. Nearly ten percent of employers offer ‘job sharing’, where two or more employees share one full-time job. Employers also offer childcare benefits that resolve some of the need for flexibility and help parents cover the steep cost of childcare:

Resource and referral services for childcare (27 percent)
Emergency/sick childcare (7 percent)
On-site or near-site childcare (5 percent)
Childcare subsidies (3 percent)

Employee Benefits for Financial/Family Planning

Financial planning is a necessity for family planning. More than 70 percent of employers offer dependent care flexible spending accounts. Fifteen percent of employers now offer 529 savings plans that help save for children’s higher education. Over 10 percent offer scholarships or paid tuition for employees’ children.