The Paid Family Leave Patchwork Problem

Not all paid family leave programs are created equal, and the difference matters more than most employers realize. What’s emerging across state legislatures is a paid leave landscape that is anything but uniform, and it has real implications for how employers operate. While 13 states and Washington, D.C. have implemented comprehensive paid family and medical leave programs, a growing number of states have adopted voluntary private insurance models that provide less coverage, reach fewer workers, and are likely to be more expensive. For HR teams operating across multiple states, inconsistent administration becomes almost inevitable without a structured internal process.

Recent analysis from the Economic Policy Institute examines why voluntary paid leave insurance falls short. To read more, click here.

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Employers are paying closer attention to intermittent FMLA, and so are juries. A recent CSX jury trial underscores a recurring challenge: suspected misuse must be handled carefully, consistently, and based on objective facts. The risk includes relying on assumptions, informal

Courts and regulators keep reminding employers: if an employee previously performed the role remotely, it’s harder to claim that remote work now causes undue hardship or that on-site presence is always “essential.” Recent analyses highlight fact-specific reviews of job duties,