US Workplace not family oriented ... this is news???
- Thread starter shesulsa
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I'm surprised to hear that there's no mandatory paid maternity leave in the States.
If nothing else, given the roaring of the feminist lobby on all kinds of issues, I would've thought that such a topic would've been high on the agenda.
If nothing else, given the roaring of the feminist lobby on all kinds of issues, I would've thought that such a topic would've been high on the agenda.
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Some employers do it, but most do not. I'm torn between it being mandatory and being another perk that employers could make available.
Jeff
This is not news to me. The US is behind on paid time off, for sick leave, vacation, maternity, paternity... pretty much everything.
Xue Sheng
All weight is underside
US Workplaces are not family oriented....HUH!?!?!?
What are you going to tell us next... that man can fly :uhyeah:
It is rather amazing when you think about it. And if you talk to people form other countries it is even more amazing at the things we don't get in the US.
What are you going to tell us next... that man can fly :uhyeah:
It is rather amazing when you think about it. And if you talk to people form other countries it is even more amazing at the things we don't get in the US.
I would rather see a marketplace approach to this, rather than a government mandate. Companies that offer better benefits (like maternity leave) will attract better workers. I took two months off when my son was born, and I'm thankful my work gave me the opportunity. But that places a huge burden on an employer, particularly if it is a small business.
Lamont
Lamont
Hi! :wavey: Canadian here and I need something explained to me.
Here in Canada when you have a child you can collect unemployment insurance benefits for up to a year after child birth. Your employer has to keep your job position open for your return.
Is there nothing like this in the States?
Here in Canada when you have a child you can collect unemployment insurance benefits for up to a year after child birth. Your employer has to keep your job position open for your return.
Is there nothing like this in the States?
The article isn't showing the entire picture.
What its doing is comparing national laws, and this is not a fair comparison. Most labor laws are governed by the state, not the federal government, and there are states that DO offer some of benefits talked about. Massachusetts, for example, is a state that guarntees maternity leave and also has a Small Necessities Leave Act that allows a parent to...attend a conference at school or take an elderly parent to the doctor. Many other benfits are available to Massachusetts workers, such as a minimum wage that is also 33% higher than FLSA requires.
There is also a presumption that because these benefits aren't legislated by law, they don't exist. That is also not the case. There are many companies that do offer benefits that are similar to what is in the article, and the U.S. offers some situations that, due to worker protection laws in other countries, cannot be instituted. In some countries, it is difficult or impossible to have a mother come back to work part-time or on reduced hours. In others, regular telecommuting is impossible due to legal restrictions or lack of infrastructure.
That isn't to say that we do not have room for improvement, but the article makes a distored point of view.
What its doing is comparing national laws, and this is not a fair comparison. Most labor laws are governed by the state, not the federal government, and there are states that DO offer some of benefits talked about. Massachusetts, for example, is a state that guarntees maternity leave and also has a Small Necessities Leave Act that allows a parent to...attend a conference at school or take an elderly parent to the doctor. Many other benfits are available to Massachusetts workers, such as a minimum wage that is also 33% higher than FLSA requires.
There is also a presumption that because these benefits aren't legislated by law, they don't exist. That is also not the case. There are many companies that do offer benefits that are similar to what is in the article, and the U.S. offers some situations that, due to worker protection laws in other countries, cannot be instituted. In some countries, it is difficult or impossible to have a mother come back to work part-time or on reduced hours. In others, regular telecommuting is impossible due to legal restrictions or lack of infrastructure.
That isn't to say that we do not have room for improvement, but the article makes a distored point of view.
Not on a federal level. As Carol so rightly points out, there are different laws in different states, with different minimums. A coworker of mine had a baby last year, and my district guarantees 6 weeks maternity leave... but you have to use your first 30 days of sick leave, if you have it, so when you come back, you don't have any. If you don't have that much, they pay you anyway, but if you want a longer leave, it's unpaid, unless you have enough sick leave stored up to cover it... which most new parents, being younger and having less time on the job, generally don't have.
When I became pregnant with my first child, the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) didn't exist. When my baby was born, I had only two weeks off from work (and that was unpaid). I had to return back to work and put my baby into child care. Most child care places do not want to accept a child under 6 weeks old. I didn't have a choice at the time whether to stay home with my baby. It was either do that and starve, or go to work and feel nuts for doing so. It also was extremely difficult to breastfeed my child. I had to prove to my work that I could still complete all my work when I have to take all my breaks and lunch time to go see my baby and feed him. (If anyone ever breastfed a baby, you know they don't feed in just 15 minutes), so it ended up with becoming a long work day for me.
It was a mixed blessing when the FMLA passed. We are allowed up to 12 weeks off from work. Even then, they require us to use whatever paid leave first (sick leave and annual/personal leave) then the remaining time (if we so choose to be off the remainder of 12 weeks) would be unpaid time off (because the paid sick/annual time were used up).
That was a challenge with my second child as it was passed the same year I became pregnant, and we had to borrow money to survive during the unpaid time. I could not stay off the full 12 weeks and returned back to work about halfway through (six weeks). With my third and fourth pregnancies, my husband and I learned to save up the money first to use during the unpaid time to live off (I elected to take 12 weeks off both times).
Could USA do better? Yes, I think we could; I'm not sure how we can do this without creating more mandates at a governmental level.
- Ceicei
It was a mixed blessing when the FMLA passed. We are allowed up to 12 weeks off from work. Even then, they require us to use whatever paid leave first (sick leave and annual/personal leave) then the remaining time (if we so choose to be off the remainder of 12 weeks) would be unpaid time off (because the paid sick/annual time were used up).
That was a challenge with my second child as it was passed the same year I became pregnant, and we had to borrow money to survive during the unpaid time. I could not stay off the full 12 weeks and returned back to work about halfway through (six weeks). With my third and fourth pregnancies, my husband and I learned to save up the money first to use during the unpaid time to live off (I elected to take 12 weeks off both times).
Could USA do better? Yes, I think we could; I'm not sure how we can do this without creating more mandates at a governmental level.
- Ceicei
JasonASmith
Black Belt
Money, money, money...
No wonder this country is running itself into the ground, our "superiors" aren't letting most us stop and smell the roses for a bit without the fear of recompense, be it from our "superiors" or from the state that we live in...
That's all that I'm going to say, I despise the political babblings and bubblings with a passion...
No wonder this country is running itself into the ground, our "superiors" aren't letting most us stop and smell the roses for a bit without the fear of recompense, be it from our "superiors" or from the state that we live in...
That's all that I'm going to say, I despise the political babblings and bubblings with a passion...
shinbushi
Green Belt
If you don't like what your employer gives in in terms of benefits quit and find another job, or better yet open up your own business. (Which is what I did) Forced pay for maternity puts more work on single men and women or DINKs. Getting pregnant was YOUR choice why should WE have to do your work or as an employer be forced to pay for it. If you are an invaluable part of the company, then it is probably in your benefits package and the company cannot wait for you to come back to work. Socialism produces lower quality every time.
The closest you can come to it in the US at a federal level is FMLA which is the Family medical leave act, which I don't know if it applies to giving birth, but only garuntees that your employer (if they are of a certain size) must keep your job position open for you for up to a year (I think) and the time off you have is unpaid.
Last i checked you don't get unemployment benefits if you are on FMLA or unpaid maternity leave.
Usually I think something like this should be decided by the market, but for maternity leave, I would 100% support some sort of federal mandate to companies of a certain size, like say 1000 employees or more...
The US may lag far behind many of the countries of the world with family friendly benefits, but I think they need to be careful, if you look at some of the European countries with very favorable worker benefits like France and their 35-hr work week, they lag behind many of the world powers when it comes for productivity and output...
grydth
Senior Master
Helping workers out in family situations is not only the 'right thing' to do, it is simply good business. As I have often said, happy people work better.
I have had workers approach me for time off for ill family members and I almost always grant it. Why not - if it were my kid, I'd be home. Is their child somehow less valuable?
One woman asked me in a worried tone if I thought she took too much time off for her ill son and was she in some trouble? I told her that if she would not be loyal to her own blood I would not expect her to be loyal to me..... and if I failed to support her at a rough time, how could I expect her support if crisis time arrived at work. What an excellent worker I now have in her!
Now, management isn't even my primary skill and I'm not actually a very nice person - but can't everyone see the benefits in this? Are we that sick or greedy a society?
I have had workers approach me for time off for ill family members and I almost always grant it. Why not - if it were my kid, I'd be home. Is their child somehow less valuable?
One woman asked me in a worried tone if I thought she took too much time off for her ill son and was she in some trouble? I told her that if she would not be loyal to her own blood I would not expect her to be loyal to me..... and if I failed to support her at a rough time, how could I expect her support if crisis time arrived at work. What an excellent worker I now have in her!
Now, management isn't even my primary skill and I'm not actually a very nice person - but can't everyone see the benefits in this? Are we that sick or greedy a society?
Phoenix44
Master of Arts
And I always thought raising a family was a PEOPLE's issue, not a feminist issue.
In other news fish swim, birds fly, cats catch mice.
"Family values" in US political culture means precisely one thing, maniacal total governmnet control over people's genitals and what they do with them. Nothing else.
"Family values" in US political culture means precisely one thing, maniacal total governmnet control over people's genitals and what they do with them. Nothing else.
It does not... it also includes control over contraception, abortion, and child rearing methodology... along with religion vs. science - thus the creation vs. evolution battles and how that affects both instruction and text book writing and choice.
Point. It has the thin end of nothing whittled down to a point to do with helping families get by and raise healthy, law-abiding, free, educated kids
Great point!
Everyone seems to identify with the worker, without thinking of the employer. But has anyone who wants the government to force folks to give some sort of leave ever asked if the lower priced bid (object for sale, etc) is being offered by someone who needs more money to cover the cost of their worker's families? I know of one guy on martialtalk that always looks for things made in countries like China and refuses to buy them because they do not meet his standards for the way they treat their workers. How many people want their countires factories to be forced to give this sort of benefit but don't bother to check if the cheaper product or service is provided by companies that meet this standard? :soapbox:
I think a lot of people should start off by researching each company they buy from and buying from only those that meet thier standards before they try to pass legislation to force others to add cost they may not be willing to pay for.
