??BenefitBump Buzz –November 2023

In today’s “All the Buzz” you will find a new leave law in California for reproductive loss, ways to support adoptive parents at work in honor of Adoption Awareness Month, and highlights from the 2023 Aflac Workforces report.?

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??Compliance Happenings?

New California law provides workers with protected leave for reproductive loss – This law, effective January 1, 2023, allows employees to take up to two weeks of unpaid leave for purposes related to pregnancy loss, stillbirth, or other reproductive health issues. This important piece of legislation recognizes the additional time that families need when they experience a loss.?

For more information: California Establishes New Leave for Reproductive Loss (shrm.org).?

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Amended Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Allows ‘Topping Off’ Benefits With Accrued Sick, Vacation Pay - The Massachusetts legislature has made changes to the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFMLA) in the state budget, effective November 1, 2023. These changes allow employees to supplement their state-paid PFMLA benefit with accrued sick leave pay, vacation pay, or other paid leave provided by their employer up to 100% of their average weekly wage. However, employers cannot require employees to use these accrued benefits, and they are responsible for monitoring that employees do not receive more than 100% of their average weekly wage. ?

For more information: Amended Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Allows ‘Topping Off’ Benefits With Accrued Sick, Vacation Pay | Jackson Lewis P.C. - JDSupra?

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??Top Stories – The Buzz You’ll be Hearing Around the Office?

Retention at Risk as Employers Struggle to Meet Benefits Needs – The 13th?annual?Aflac WorkForces Report?was released by?Aflac Inc. Consistent with MetLife’s recent finding, employees feel decreasingly cared for by their employer, dropping from 60% in 2021 to 48% this year. A big driver of these concerns are likely tied to employee burnout where, consistent with 2022 survey findings, more than half (57%) of all American workers say they are currently experiencing at least moderate levels of burnout. On the bright side, employers seem to be aware of the issues, since they acknowledge that culture, flexible work arrangements, and wellbeing are major challenges for their organizations. On the downside, when asked how employers prioritize new benefits, innovation was a top 3 consideration for only 7% of respondents. ?

The report also has breakouts for different employer size cohorts and industries. A few other quick notes from the study...they asked employees how their mental health has impacted their productivity, asked about their inability to fund a $1,000 expense, and surveyed folks about their level of anxiety related to health care costs. No surprise, but all were alarmingly high.?

For the full story: Retention At Risk as Employers Struggle to Meet Benefits Needs - HRO Today.?

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TheSkimm Urges More Private-sector Employers to Step Up Childcare - TheSkimm recently launched the #ShowUsYourChildcare campaign, urging private sector investment in childcare benefits. The campaign, in partnership with Moms First, has gained support from 80 companies, including Pinterest, Mastercard, and Chobani, and aims to highlight the importance of childcare benefits. As part of this initiative, they created a database to house sample company policies, which could save employers reading this newsletter time, as you contemplate and build your own company’s policies.?

To read the full story: TheSkimm rolls out new childcare resources. (hr-brew.com).?

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Supporting Adoptive Parents at Work – November is Adoption Awareness Month, but having a plan to support adoptive families will benefit you (as an employer,)and your employees all year long. Supports include: remaining flexible to address pre- and post- adoption requirements and challenges, making sure adoptive parents understand what benefits are available to them, and creating a supportive work environment that treats them in a manner similar to any other new and working parent.?

To read the full article: Supporting Adoptive Parents at Work — BenefitBump.?

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??Praise for Family-Friendly Companies?

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Trailblazers – Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), one of the nation’s leading organizations promoting diversity, named Armstrong Teasdale a 2023 Top Performer and Compass Award Winner for the third year in a row. The awards recognize member law firms and corporations that show a strong commitment to building more diverse organizations and a more inclusive legal profession. Congrats Armstrong Teasdale !

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??Upcoming Events??

Buzz-Worthy Industry Events – BenefitBump will be attending the 2023 PBGH Summit on December 6 in Austin, Texas. We would love to connect while we are there! Reach out to Scott Liebman or Sarah Moore (She/Her/Hers) if you are interested in grabbing some time.?Also, if you are an employer interested in attending, we may be able to get you a free pass.?

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Scott’s Monthly Soap Box – Childcare is a Business Infrastructure Need?

For those of you that have attended a BenefitBump webinar, this will not be news to you... I am a big supporter of childcare subsidies for working parents, especially those at the lower end of the pay scale. Arguably, this is an opportunity for the government to support citizens and businesses in a manner that is sure to increase the US’s economic growth. I’ll spare you all of the statistics and estimates, but simply, if more people can work, we will have a higher GDP. Also, if more people can afford and find childcare, employers would likely have an easier time meeting their labor needs.?

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I believe that when someone tees up a complaint or a challenge there is an obligation for that individual to offer up potential solutions. I am not exempt, so here are my thoughts and what we are doing at BenefitBump:?

1. The least expensive option for helping families with childcare is to help them construct a childcare plan and to direct them to the resources their employer already offers. Most employees have no idea what an EAP is or how it can help in this area, but it can! We talk to growing families all the time and many of them wait or plan to wait until deeper into their pregnancy to figure out what to do about childcare. That’s why the childcare plan is a topic we cover on the very first interaction with all parents, regardless of where they’re at in their journey and then we refer them to the appropriate childcare resources.?
2. Offer flexible work schedules. Our business is focused on supporting growing families, so we know flexibility for our own employees is paramount. Our BenefitBump team can work schedules that meet their family’s needs, while also being cognizant of the needs of our staff, clients, and participants. This means that some staff members choose fewer hours, some work around school schedules, some manage their administrative demands outside of their children’s waking hours, etc. To the extent you can create flexibility for your workforce, by all means, please do. And communicate that flexibility, too!
3. Connect employees to available state subsidies for childcare. They are not plentiful, but they do exist. Sadly, many working families have no idea that they are out there.
4. Negotiate with local childcare providers. National chains may reach out to large employers to offer enterprise-wide discounts, but for many other employers, they may need to check with nearby centers to see if they will hold space or offer special pricing to their employees.
5. Help with the cost. Last year, we provided a summer bonus to the staff to help offset what was typically a higher cost of care during the summer, as families had to solve for weeks without their typical care providers, summer camps for school aged children, etc. My goal is to offer a more robust subsidy in the near future, since a reliable workforce requires reliable childcare. Subsidies create an additional expense, but the return on investment is worth it.?

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So, if you are helping in some or all of these areas, post your childcare per theSkimm’s campaign. Also, review their resources for ideas on what could be next and how to get there.?