5 Things People Love About Paid Family Leave

Like any new relationship, New York's Paid Family Leave program may have its ups and downs. But there's a lot for employees to love. Above all, PFL gives them the time to care for the people they care about.

Here are five reasons to love PFL:

1. Time off to care for parents or grandparents. PFL can help ease the strain on employees who need time off to take care of aging parents with serious health conditions. Employees can take paid family leave in increments as small as one day. That may be just what's needed to take elderly parents to medical appointments and help manage their care.

2. Employer size doesn't matter. New York's Paid Family Leave program will benefit employees at private organizations of all sizes. Compare that to the Family Medical Leave Act, which applies only to organizations with more than 50 employees. Another big plus, PFL offers paid leave, versus unpaid time off.

3. PFL isn't just for new moms. Until now, most dads didn't have a paid leave option. PFL offers eight weeks of paid time off that any new parent can use for bonding with a new child. That includes newborn babies, adopted children and foster kids. Parents may even be able to take some paid time off prior to adopting or fostering. And women who are covered by New York’s statutory Disability Leave will still be able to receive benefits for pregnancy and birth.

4. It's not just for white-collar workers. With New York's groundbreaking PFL program, you don't have to work for a trend-setting large employer to be covered. It applies to virtually all private-sector employees. From retail and restaurant workers to factory workers. The law even applies to most domestic employees and many part-time employees. Plus, self-employed people may have the choice to opt in.

5. PFL can help relieve stress on military families. Employees may be eligible for PFL if they have a family member who is on active military duty or called to serve. Qualified family members include a spouse, domestic partner, child or parent. In general, PFL rules for military-related PFL follow the FMLA. One big advantage for employees? New York's program offers paid leave, versus unpaid FMLA leave.

To find out more about PFL and other regulations that affect employees, follow The Standard on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter with the hashtag #PaidFamilyLeave, and subscribe   to this blog's RSS feed to receive updated content as new information becomes available.

For more details about New York Paid Family Leave, visit: ny.gov/programs/new-york-state-paid-family-leave.