The Best Paid Leave Programs to Offer Employees

If you’re a small business looking to hire, offering the benefits employees want the most can make a big difference in attracting and retaining the employees you want. While health insurance and mental health benefits are highly desired benefits, one of the benefits employees value the most is paid leave. But how do you determine the best paid leave programs to offer? We’ve got your back with a compilation of some of the top options and why they matter to employees.

Understanding Paid Leave Programs

Paid leave programs help employees balance their work and personal lives, which can lead to greater job satisfaction and productivity. That’s an outcome too good to pass up. But the question remains — which are the best paid leave programs?

Types of Paid Leave Programs

There are a number of paid leave programs that companies can offer. Some of them are required by law, while others are at the discretion of the employer to implement.

Each of the paid leave programs we’ve outlined below serves a different purpose, and many can be tailored to meet the needs of your employees. Let’s dive into each one a bit deeper.

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Paid Time Off (otherwise known as PTO) is a flexible leave policy that often combines vacation days, personal days, and sometimes even sick days into one bucket. Employees may use their PTO days at their discretion, providing them with more control over their time off.

The Benefits of PTO

1. Flexibility: PTO can be used for many reasons, reducing the need for separate categories of leave.

2. Simplicity: Managing one bucket of leave days is easier for both employers and employees.

3. Employee satisfaction: Offering a flexible PTO policy can increase employee morale and retention.

Sick Leave

Considering that everyone gets sick from time to time, having a paid leave policy to address this issue is helpful for any company. Sick leave allows employees to take time off when they’re ill without losing pay. This type of leave helps maintain a healthy workplace and enables employees to recover without financial stress. Note that many states have mandatory sick leave requirements for employers, so it's important to always remain compliant within the state that you operate.

The Benefits of Sick Leave

1. Health and safety: Sick leave encourages employees to stay home when they’re ill, which helps reduce the spread of illness in the workplace.

2. Employee wellbeing: Sick leave can alleviate financial stress for employees while they’re trying to recover.

3. Productivity: Healthy employees are often more productive and engaged at work.

Family and Medical Leave

When employees need time off to deal with serious family or medical issues, Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) comes into play. This type of leave is federally mandated in some cases, and isn’t always paid. Some states have specific policies as well, so it’s important to do your research about requirements for your organization.

The Benefits of Family and Medical Leave

1. Support: FMLA can help employees avoid financial hardship while managing life events like caring for a sick family member, recovering from a major illness, or bonding with a new child.

2. Work-life balance: This type of leave promotes a healthy balance between work and personal responsibilities.

3. Employee loyalty: Employees are more likely to stay with a company that supports their personal life.

Parental Leave

For new parents, parental leave is a critical benefit. It allows them time off to bond with their newborn or newly adopted child. Parental leave can be offered to both mothers and fathers, which helps promote gender equality in the workplace.

The Benefits of Parental Leave

1. Family bonding: Parental leave provides new parents with the time needed to bond with their new child.

2. Employee retention: Companies that offer parental leave are more likely to retain employees who start families.

3. Gender equality: Parental leave encourages shared parenting responsibilities and supports gender equality at work.

Bereavement Leave

Bereavement leave is an important type of leave policy to consider. It allows employees to take time off to grieve and manage affairs after the death of a loved one. Bereavement leave is essential for supporting employees during difficult times.

The Benefits of Bereavement Leave

1. Support: Bereavement leave provides employees with the time needed to grieve and recover from a loss.

2. Productivity: Employees who are given time to process their grief are more likely to return to work focused and productive.

3. Employee loyalty: Showing empathy and support during difficult times can increase employee loyalty and satisfaction.

Sabbaticals

Sabbaticals provide employees extended periods of paid leave to use for personal growth, travel, or other pursuits. While this type of leave is less common, sabbaticals can be a powerful tool for employee development and retention.

The Benefits of Sabbaticals

1. Personal growth: Sabbaticals allow employees time to pursue their interests, returning to work refreshed and motivated.

2. Retention: Offering sabbaticals can help retain long-term employees by providing unique opportunities.

3. Innovation: Employees who take sabbaticals often return with new ideas and perspectives that benefit their work, the team, and your company as a whole.

Implementing Paid Leave Programs

When it comes to implementing paid leave programs at your company, you’ll need to do some careful planning and consideration. Here are a few steps to help you get started.

Step 1: Assess Employee Needs

Check in with your employees to better understand their needs and preferences regarding paid leave. What you learn will help you create programs that are effective for current employees and attractive to future hires.

Step 2: Document Your Policies

Once you know the policies you want to implement, make sure they’re clearly documented. It’s crucial for employees to understand what types of leave are available, how to request leave, and what documentation may be required.

Step 3: Communicate With Employees

After you’ve documented your company’s policies, it’s all about communication. Communicate the details of your paid leave programs to employees regularly. Use multiple channels — think emails, employee handbooks, and dedicated meetings — to ensure everyone’s informed. After your paid leave policies are in place, regularly review their effectiveness and make adjustments as needed. 

Offering comprehensive paid leave programs is necessary for hiring top talent. Through offering a robust benefits package that includes paid leave programs, you can create a supportive work environment that promotes employee wellbeing and productivity.

How Justworks Can Help

Having a better understanding of paid leave programs and their benefits is great. But if you’re a small business that wants to implement paid leave policies at your company, you might need some help. That’s where we come in! 

As a Justworks customer, you can connect with our certified HR Consultants for guidance on introducing paid leave policies in your company. Not only that, but you’ll also get access to high-quality benefits, mental health services, and fertility benefits. And you’ll get support and resources to help you stay compliant when it comes to taxes, workers’ compensation insurance, and more. Ready to join Justworks? Get started today!