A new bill establishing a Paid Family Leave (PFL) program in the state of New York was passed. This bill will apply to businesses of all sizes and under this bill workers will be able to take leave to: Bond with a new child (including adopted and foster children), Care for a seriously ill (child, parent, parent in-law, spouse, domestic partner, grandchild or grandparent) or address certain military family needs. Employees will be able to start taking Paid Family Leave starting in 2018.
With employees able to take Paid Family Leave there is a good chance you could have one or more employees taking Paid Family Leave in 2018 and you must guarantee job reinstatement to an employee on leave to the same or comparable position. Will you have enough staffing to cover their workloads? Now is the time to consider and make a game plan, such as cross training your team so they can assist with the workload or looking into short-term staffing solutions such as temp agencies.
Employers will be responsible for collecting employee’s contributions through their payroll similar to other employee paid benefits and Paid Family Leave Coverage will be billed alongside your Statutory Disability. Contact your insurance agent to make sure you have the right coverage as Paid Family Leave will be dependent on proper Statutory Disability.
