As companies make inroads on the parental leave front, their focus may turn to improving caregiver leave options overall, Seth Turner, founder of AbsenceSoft, a leave and accommodation management solutions provider, told HR Dive.
“I won’t say parental leave’s done. I think there’s a lot still to talk about there,” Turner said. But companies are looking at what’s next and what other problems need to be addressed.
Addressing caregiver leave is two-pronged, something to do both out of necessity and as a way of meeting workers where they are, Turner said. And, as millennials age, many workers fall into the “sandwich generation.”
The so-called sandwich generation — those who are caring both for young children and their aging parents — spend an estimated 50 hours per week on caregiving, according to a 2023 report by insurance company New York Life.
“You’ve got that sandwich generation where they say, ‘Okay, you’re doing all these things for new mothers and for parental leave. What about me?’” Turner said. “Some of it’s about equity.”
While the Family and Medical Leave Act guarantees 12 weeks of unpaid, protected leave to care for a family member or to handle an illness, it’s not uncommon for those who take leave to care for others to then need to take leave to care for themselves because of the stress and strain of the situation, Turner said.
Offering flexible work arrangements, leave and other benefits can help alleviate some of the strain on workers, as well as lessen the impact on the business by cutting down on unexpected absences, Turner said.
“The reality is, they’re going to need to take that time anyway,” he said. “Any leave you can plan for is much better than a leave you can’t.”
In practice, this could look like working with an employee who needs to schedule doctors’ appointments during the day to find times that are the least disruptive and being flexible about when and how work gets done, he said. It could also mean giving an employee the option to work remotely on days when they need to fit in an appointment to reduce the time away from work duties.
“Our stance has always been, the more you communicate with the employee, talk to them, understand their needs, the more you come up with a solution that works for both of you,” Turner said.
Companies are increasingly turning to more flexible and customized benefits and leave policies to better accommodate workers, experts have told HR Dive. Apart from caregiving leave, employers are considering expanded parental leave, ‘pawternity’ leave and paid leave for military spouses to help with moves.
There also are legislative moves being made to protect caregivers.
As of Jan. 1, Illinois protects caregivers from employment discrimination. Under the law, employers in the state can’t make decisions about recruitment, hiring, promotion, and more based on a worker or candidate’s real or perceived personal care of a relative.
The legislation is on the “cutting edge” of worker protections for family responsibilities, according to an analysis by law firm Ogletree Deakins.
