By Kate McGovern Tornone, Editor
Employers in California are ahead of the national average when it comes to paid family leave policies, according to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Nationwide, 18% of employers offer that benefit; in California, 35% of employers do, according to recently-released state survey results.
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In the organization’s national benefits survey, released earlier this year, employers’ definitions of “family leave” varied. Many employers offered a combined family leave bank for maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption leave, foster child leave, and leave to care for an immediate family member as defined by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Others included surrogacy leave and leave to care for an extended family member beyond the FMLA’s definition.
The state survey also found that employers in California are more likely to offer stand-alone paid sick leave, vacation, maternity, paternity, and adoption banks.