Call for paid family leave has reached the state and national levels

The call for paid family leave has grown louder in recent months, thanks to the upcoming presidential election. While the federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave in a year to care for a newborn, adopted or foster child, according to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), only 12 percent of U.S. private sector workers have access to paid family leave through their employer.

On the state level, only three -- California, New Jersey and Rhode Island -- offer paid family and medical leave. New York will follow in 2018, having recently passed legislation. The Associated Press reports these four states have the best paid leave, while Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee have some of the worst, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Missouri Legislature is currently considering paid family leave options that could improve the situation for expectant mothers and fathers. Senate Bill 1049 and a similar House Bill 2806 entitles workers to up to 30 days of wage replacement for the purpose of giving birth or adopting a child, and subsequent bonding.

But without such legislation, Missouri employers are not required to offer paid maternity leave. While there are certainly people who can share employer horror stories -- workers obligated to return to work too soon, or facing inhospitable conditions for mothers with newborns -- many local businesses report efforts to make taking maternity leave less difficult for expectant and new mothers.

Current federal law offers 12 workweeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period, which is how many employers with 50 employees or more grant maternity leave in the region. The employee uses a combination of their own vacation, sick time and unpaid leave to create the best maternity leave they can.

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This is the case at businesses like Saint Francis Healthcare System and Southeast Missouri State University, and representatives of the respective organizations say because of their paid time off packages and other benefits, it's not common for employees to have to take unpaid leave for the purpose of having or adopting a baby.

A new employee at the university, for example, receives 12 days of sick leave upon hiring and accrues eight more over the course of the year, along with paid time off. With those days at their disposal, employees can take four weeks of fully paid family leave.

"After that, the rest of their FMLA to have a baby would be paid at 60 percent," says Jim Cook, director of human resources. After the first year or so, Cook says, most employees are able to have their family leave fully covered.

"This year, starting July 1, we have two weeks of parental leave. That's in addition to sick leave," Cook says, which means new fathers now also have extra time to stay home with their children.

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Nicole Chance, human resources director at Saint Francis Medical Center, says the company has a generous earned time off policy that allows most new mothers to be paid through their full maternity leave. But the health care system also offers the opportunity for employees to donate and share their time off with those who are running low, which is something that is occasionally done.

Other companies, like Procter & Gamble, offer expanded leave for new parents, including 16 weeks of paid maternity leave, four weeks of paternity leave and 16 weeks for adoptive parents, according to a video announcement on their Facebook page.

But no matter how long or short a leave is, the idea of returning to work can be daunting, particularly for nursing mothers.

"Even prenatally, that's the biggest concern I hear," says Melissa Kelley, a lactation consultant at Saint Francis Medical Center. Many regional employers make efforts to accommodate the needs of new parents, including a more flexible schedule as well as private rooms for nursing. Both Saint Francis and the university offer space and time for women to nurse. In fact, several businesses and offices in Southeast Missouri, including Saint Francis, offices of the City of Cape Girardeau and many locations in Marble Hill, Missouri, have been recognized by the state of Missouri as breast-feeding-friendly workplaces.

Part-time and telecommuting arrangements also can be made between employer and employee to help make the transition easier. Chance says it's not uncommon for new parents to choose to come back to work on a PRN, or as-needed basis, allowing them the flexibility many new parents need, while also continuing to work and earn a paycheck.

Cook says online courses make it easier for the university to offer flexible time to professors in a way that is beneficial for everyone involved -- teachers, students and even the university itself.

"In general, businesses have attempted to be more family-friendly as a recruitment tool," Cook says. "It helps us not only recruit, but retain people."