Instead of limiting employers' ability to react to employees' needs, the Society for Human Resource Management expressed its position of encouraging employers to offer employees paid leave to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
Juanita Phillips, who spoke for SHRM, reported how her employer, Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation of Huntsville, Ala., offers many flexible benefits, such as paid leave, which helps the company recruit and retain top workers. Because of these flexible benefits, Intuitive Research and Technology has received national awards, including the designation as a Best Small Company to Work for in the U.S.
"We provide generous paid leave so that we can continue to be an employer of choice for employees and applicants in our area," Phillips says. "What we do not want is a government-imposed paid leave mandate to take away our competitive edge over other employers."
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SHRM believes that all employers should be encouraged to provide paid leave for illness, vacation and personal days, and by hitting a minimum eligibility requirement, those employers would be designated as meeting federal, state and local requirements.
In SHRM's view, the Healthy Families Act is so broad and vague that employers would face administrative challenges, and it would add to the already complex requirements for employers.
"If organizations are required to offer paid sick leave, they will likely absorb this added cost by cutting back or eliminating other employee benefits, such as health or retirement benefits, or forgo wage increases," Phillips says.
SHRM say its workplace flexibility initiative supports employer policies and practices that have demonstrated the ability to meet the needs of employees and their families in a way that is predictable and stable for employers.
"We are not required to offer these benefits at Intuitive, but we do because they work well for our employees and help us attract and retain the best people," Phillips says.
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