Pennsylvania small businesses support paid family and medical leave

Small business owners across the Keystone State know it makes good business sense to take care of the people who work for them. However, it can be challenging to provide key benefits, including paid family and medical leave, which they believe would help them recruit and retain their workers. With small businesses struggling to compete with large companies that can offer attractive benefits packages, it should come as no surprise that they support establishing a comprehensive paid family and medical leave program that would make it easier for them to facilitate their employees’ access to the paid time off they need to support their families while keeping their jobs.

A new scientific opinion poll conducted for Small Business Majority and the National Partnership for Women & Families by Lake Research Partners found that 78% of Pennsylvania small business owners support the creation of a national paid family and medical leave program that would guarantee employees wage replacement for up to 12 weeks, funded by 0.5% employer and employee contributions each. The leave could be for welcoming a new child (born or adopted), or a serious health condition or injury for an employee or a family member. Support for a national paid leave program has been steadily increasing in recent years. In the absence of a federal program, 10 states (including the District of Columbia) have programs fully in effect, with four more in the process of implementation. The Pennsylvania legislature is considering two proposals to enact a state-run paid family and medical leave program, one which would pay for a state-run program through joint employer and employee payroll contributions and another that would be paid for solely through employee contributions.

Pennsylvania small business owners support paid family and medical leave for several reasons:

• 92% agree that employee morale is better when they know they can take care of themselves and their families if needed without losing their job.
• 92% agree that businesses have more cohesive teams when turnover is lower.
• 91% agree that employees are more invested in the business when they know they can stay despite changes in life circumstances.
• 90% agree that businesses are better able to retain highly skilled and experienced employees.
• 87% agree that businesses have more reason to invest in employees, resulting in a more skilled workforce.

Most small business owners (89%) say they support access to paid family and medical leave as an employer and also as someone who cares about the people who work for them, and many are taking steps to offer at least some paid leave to their employees. However, it’s important to note that there is a clear gap between the amount of paid leave that small businesses do offer and the amount they would like to provide. More than 8 in 10 (82%) small business owners agree that they would like to offer more paid family and medical leave than their business can currently afford, and only some are able to offer it:

• Among the 48% of small businesses offering paid medical leave for an employee’s serious health needs, 54% offer one month or less.
• Among the 32% of small businesses offering paid family leave to care for relatives, 84% offer one month or less.
• Among the 42% of small businesses offering paid leave for pregnancy and/or childbirth, 54% offer one month or less.
• Among the 43% of small businesses offering paid parental leave for a newborn child, 51% offer one month or less.
• Among the 29% of small businesses offering paid parental leave for adoptive and/or foster parents, 82% offer one month or less.

Pennsylvania small businesses overwhelmingly support establishing a paid family and medical leave program, and they think it would improve employee morale and help with recruitment and retention. This support is underscored by how many small businesses have been impacted by extended leave, with both small business owners and their employees having taken extended leave to care for themselves or family members. As Pennsylvania legislators consider proposals that would establish a state-run paid family and medical leave program, it’s important that they keep the views of small businesses in mind.