City Council Meeting Date: August 21, 2018
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator Ben Martig
From: Communications & Human Resources Director Michelle Mahowald
Title
Discuss Paid Parental Leave as a New Employee Benefit.
Body
Action Requested:
Discuss paid parental leave after review and discussion by the Council Employment Policy Committee.
Summary Report:
The Council Employment Policy Committee has reviewed information related to Paid Parental Leave at the June and July 2018 meetings. Staff researched paid parental leave policies from Northfield employers and other cities all located in the metro area. Summary data attached. The Committee recommended full discussion by the City Council as the next step in this process.
Background Information:
1. Childbirth, adoption, and foster child placement can take a significant financial and emotional toll on working parents, and thereby can impair their ability to serve the public. Paid parental leave programs benefit children and families. Paid parental leave can reduce the risk of infant mortality and increase the likelihood of infants receiving well-baby care and vaccinations. Fathers who take time off from work around childbirth are likely to spend more time with their children in the months following their children's birth, which could reduce stress on the family and contribute to father-infant bonding. This benefit is proven to strengthen families and workplaces.
2. Innovo Benefits (the city's health insurance administrator) provided the following summary of key findings after research on Transforming Maternity Care http://transform.childbirthconnection.org: (Attachment 6 contains the Hyperlink)
* 58% of women who had cesareans considered pain at the site of the incision to have been a problem in the first two months after birth, with 19% citing it as a major problem, and 16% saying the problem persisted at least 6 months.
* 41% of women who had vaginal births considered perineal pa...
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