As of 2017, only 15percent of U.S. workers got any paid family leave, according to theBureau of Labor Statistics, up from 11 percent in 2012. (Photo:Shutterstock)

Starting next year, General Mills Inc. will bump its paidmaternity and parental leave offerings to match some of themore generous big employers in the U.S.

All new parents at the food giant will be eligible for 12 weeksof paid time off to care for a newborn, and birth mothers will getan additional six to eight weeks of maternity leave. Under the old policy, GeneralMills gave two weeks of parental leave and six weeks of maternityleave.

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The Minneapolis-based company is also adding paid time off forother types of family responsibilities: two weeks to care for a sick family member and expandedbereavement. These benefits will be available to roughly 13,000salaried and non-union production workers, who make up about 37percent of General Mills's global workforce.

“We're always assessing ourselves and looking objectively atwhere other companies are going,” said Jacqueline Williams-Roll,the company's Chief Human Resource Officer. “We always want toattract, develop, and retain the very best talent. … We wanted tomove the bar up.”

The benefit puts General Mills more in line with whatcompetitors offer. Starting last year Kellogg Co. increased itsparental leave to 12-14 weeks, depending on the parent. Unileverupped its paid maternity leave to 16 weeks in 2016.

With the labor market tight, companies in all industries aregrowing more expansive with benefits, creating new policies andincluding more classes of workers. Companies are also working tocomply with the rising number of states and municipalities thathave passed paid leave legislation.

Still, most Americans aren't getting paid time off to care fornewborns. As of 2017, only 15 percent of U.S. workers got any paidfamily leave, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, up from11 percent in 2012. During the 2016 presidential election, DonaldTrump and Hilary Clinton promised to make federally mandated leavea priority.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio introduced a bill earlier this yearthat would allow new parents to tap Social Security benefits tofinance parental leave. The Family Act, a bill sponsored by NewYork Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, proposes an employee contributionof 0.2 percent of employee wages for 12 weeks of paid parental,family or medical leave.

— With assistance by Jordyn Holman

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