The City Council has approved a resolution amending the City’s paid parental leave policy to allow for 12 weeks of paid parental leave for City employees.
Previously, the policy allowed for three weeks of paid leave for eligible employees for the birth or placement for adoption of a child. Providing the benefit of 12 weeks of paid leave recognizes the importance of family and work-life balance and will help the City continue to attract and retain employees. The new policy will also retroactively cover City employees who had a qualifying event within 12 weeks of the policy’s effective date.
The resolution notes: “The City of Minneapolis is committed to providing competitive benefits that are flexible, and when possible, responsive to the needs of our employees. Providing these types of benefits enables the City to continue to attract and retain a qualified, engaged and diverse workforce. Moreover, the City of Minneapolis recognizes the need to support employees as they balance their career and family life. A paid parental leave policy recognizes family and work-life balance as important and vital to the success of the City of Minneapolis.”
“Some argue this benefit will result in reduced productivity for those additional nine weeks of leave,” said Mayor Jacob Frey. “I would argue there is a far bigger loss when an employee goes to work elsewhere because they can’t have a baby when working for the City of Minneapolis. With this policy, we are directly investing in our employees and their families, and I’m proud that the Council has approved this resolution.”
“The research shows that this time is so critical for the bond between parent and child, and the relationship between partners during this momentous change in their lives,” said City Council Member Andrew Johnson. “This is a formative time for a baby and having a parent at home during the first few months changes their trajectory through better cognitive, social, and physical health outcomes. This is truly a small price to pay for such a large long-term benefit for that individual, family, and society.”
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up