Lawmakers in a number of states are proposing additions or modifications to employee and family leave laws as leave issues draw attention.
Despite this, a recent survey suggests that the current trend does not necessarily favor family leave. Almost 25 percent of female employees who had a child in the past three years did not take their full maternity leave, according to CareerBuilder. The study revealed that about 12 percent of respondents took only two weeks or even less time off.
Researchers report that 44 percent took more than eight weeks of maternity leave, while 40 percent indicated they took six or fewer weeks off. It is not entirely clear why so many took less time than was available to them, although there may be a variety of reasons. Once back at work, half of the mothers surveyed indicated that they were able to spend about four hours per day with their child. Another third reported that they spent two hours or less with their child each day.
Many expressed the opinion that they are forced to choose between being successful at their jobs and taking care of their children, citing difficulties such as work forcing them to miss important occasions. Employers may need to go beyond HR compliance and look deeper into their workers' family needs in order to maintain a stable, happy and productive workforce.
