The Family and Medical Leave Act alone has been used over 500 million times since the law went into effect more than 30 years ago, covering significant life events such as childbirth, adoption, or caring for a family member.
Today, when employees take a leave of absence in these instances, they rely on paid and unpaid, state and employer-sponsored support — according to MetLife’s latest research, over half (52%) of employees consider disability insurance a “must have” benefit — but navigating these programs can be physically, emotionally, and financially taxing.
It's hard to overstate the importance of robust and effective disability and leave management strategies. Beyond good administrative practice, managing leave effectively supports employees during some of life’s most critical moments, which can help drive workplace care strategies that impact business and talent outcomes. For instance, MetLife’s research found that among employees experiencing mental health conditions, those who are satisfied with their leave benefits are twice as likely to feel cared for by their employers.
Importantly, these moments often require sensitivity and flexibility from employers, and the need for support is only growing. As more states adopt Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML), eligibility is expanding and policies are growing more complex and harder for employees and employers to navigate. Without a positive, streamlined experience for employees, businesses may risk losing top talent and facing compliance headaches.
But many employers lack the resources to maintain a robust disability and leave management system. Managing leave can take upwards of 20-25 hours of HR's time per leave of absence, and mistakes can lead to lower satisfaction among employees and costly compliance issues. And evolving legal, HR and operational challenges are only upping the pressure.
As leave policies evolve, HR teams face increased pressure
Leave programs are rapidly growing in size and complexity. Between intricate state and federal leave laws, including those for family and pregnancy-related leaves, employers find themselves navigating a labyrinth of overlapping programs such as state PFML, FMLA, short-term disability, company-paid parental leave, and child bonding leave. As of January 2025, nine states plus the District of Columbia offer PFML, and four more have laws on the books that will take effect after 2025.
HR teams are expected to do more with less, but without a streamlined leave process, managing these changes can come at a high cost. Not only does this pull resources from already-strained HR departments, but missteps in leave management can lead to costly compliance issues, employee dissatisfaction, and poorer talent outcomes like loyalty, engagement and productivity.
MetLife’s research found that employees who are satisfied with their leave benefits are over twice as likely to feel holistically healthy, valued and say they are “flourishing” at work. In a similar way, supportive leave policies and benefits also help reduce employee fatigue and stress—employees who are satisfied with their employers’ leave benefits are less likely to feel burned out (11% less), stressed (10% less), and feel depressed at work (5% less).
Shifting the approach to leave management
To address these concerns, HR teams need to re-think how they approach leave management. This starts by taking a proactive approach to monitoring and understanding the landscape.
HR teams can prepare by considering upcoming policy and unpacking how different mandates interact, particularly if they operate across multiple states. For example, in Texas, a labor market home to 15 million employees, a 2023 law allowing companies to issue voluntary paid leave was enacted. And with it, a new PFL option for employers to consider.
Not only should HR be able to anticipate and meet compliance standards, but they should also aim to create a supportive environment for workers navigating their benefits. For employees, that means easy-to-understand leave policies, frequent updates, a way to track how long they can take paid leave and under which coverage option, and how they can submit a claim.
To achieve this, employers must bring disability and leave management into the 21st century. That includes leveraging technology that can streamline and automate the most basic aspects of the leave management process.
Adopting modern solutions
Meeting current needs requires a modern approach. Given the speed and complexity at which leave policy is evolving, in order to support their employees and preserve HR resources, employers must implement modern solutions.
MetLife’s My Leave Navigator (MLN), for example, is a digital platform that provides employees and employers alike with a streamlined experience encompassing pre-leave planning, claim submission, benefits tracking, and support.
Using modern technology like smart automation, programs like MetLife’s not only simplify and accelerate claim processing, but also help employers manage their response to changes in PFML regulations, especially as more employees gain coverage. For example, according to MetLife’s data, claims submitted digitally through MLN resulted in an average of 40% fewer follow-up calls per claim than those submitted through other channels.
In turn, HR teams are relieved of the need for constant intervention and can stay ahead of the curve while ensuring they remain compliant with policies.
Conclusion
Effective leave management presents a valuable opportunity for employers to reduce the strain on HR and drive positive talent and business outcomes — but it requires supporting HR teams with resources that can help make leave planning and claims more self-service while streamlining HR intervention on the back-end.
With a refreshed and proactive approach complemented by modern solutions, HR teams can stay ahead of the curve and adeptly handle the evolving complexity and speed of this environment.
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