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Businesses survive a law giving workers time off
Monday, January 22, 2001
Over an 18-month period ending last year, nearly 25 million Americans took leave from their jobs because of personal illness, or to care for a newborn child or sick family member. While some businesses complained about administrative hassles and paperwork, the vast majority experienced no decline in profitability or productivity.
These statistics, gathered during a recent survey of employers and employees, offer vivid testimony as to the value of the Family and Medical Leave Act, signed into law by former President Clinton eight years ago.
For a decade prior to its enactment, employers groups predicted that the law would prove costly and complicated to implement. The first President Bush vetoed the law twice on those grounds.
But the evidence is quite the contrary, with the benefits far outweighing the costs. For those who have young children or who care for aging parents, the peace of mind that comes with knowing they can take time off in an emergency and not lose their jobs is immeasurable.
The snapshot of those who took the leave is not surprising. Just over 50 percent needed time off because of their own illness; 36 percent took time for maternity or paternity related reasons; 11 percent to care for a sick child; 6 percent to care for a sick spouse; and 13 percent to tend to an ill parent. Fifty-eight percent of those taking advantage of the law were women, 75 percent married and 59 percent had children.
A large majority said that taking leave had positive effects on their ability to care for family members and had a positive effect on their own or family members' emotional well-being or physical health.
Unfortunately, the law applies only to businesses that employ 50 or more people, and it only covers those who have been with the employer for the preceding calendar year and who have worked a minimum of 1,250 hours during that time. Those workers can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave because of personal or family illness or to care for a newborn.
Given the minimal impact on the bottom line that the law has made so far, it is time to consider expanding it to encompass some of the 42 percent of workers who aren't now covered.
Some businesses have taken it upon themselves to offer the benefits, even though they are not required to do so by law, but others have not. For the smallest companies, a leave requirement might create real problems, but it is worth exploring whether the line between covered and noncovered businesses could be redrawn.
Of course, even if more workers were eligible for unpaid leave, many wouldn't take advantage of the benefit According to the research, 3 percent of workers feel they need to take leave time but don't, primarily because they can't afford it. And many who do take leave cut it shorter than they would otherwise because they need the paycheck.
The United States is virtually alone among developed nations in failing to provide for paid maternity leave and sick leave. And with the new Republican administration, prospects for an early expansion of benefit mandates are poor.
It's not too soon, however, to begin discussing the issue. The current Family and Medical Leave Act was the result of a decade-long political journey. The next step could take even longer. But at some point the value and merit of compensated leave for family emergencies will seem just as obvious.