City Council Meeting Date: November 20, 2018
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator Ben Martig
From: Communications & Human Resources Director Michelle Mahowald
Title
Consider Resolution approving a Family & Parental Leave Policy.
Body
Action Requested:
Staff recommends the Northfield City Council approve the attached Resolution Approving Paid Family and Parental Leave as a Council Administrative Policy for the City of Northfield, Minnesota. Note Council must designate which option they are approving.
Summary Report:
The City of Northfield currently provides leaves for maternity or paternity leaves due to birth or adoption of a child and to care for family members with a serious health condition under Family Medical Leave (federal law), Pregnancy and Parental Leave and care for relatives (state law), paid sick, vacation, and compensatory time off leaves, and related City policies. City staff has provided two Paid Family and Parental Leave Policy options to provide additional paid leave for such circumstances, which would run concurrently with both Family Medical Leave and Pregnancy and Parental Leave.
Providing Paid Family and Parental Leave may help attract and retain employees and may reduce employee turnover. Paid Family and Parental Leave supports Northfield's commitment to being a progressive employer of choice and we will be less likely to lose good employees.
Childbirth, adoption, and foster child placement and caring for immediate family members with serious injury or serious illness can take a significant financial and emotional toll on working parents, and thereby can impair their ability to serve the public. Paid family and parental leave programs benefit children and families.
In most cases, employees who are new parents have very little accrued leave available due to being younger and/or newer employees. New parents and caregivers using accrued leave significantly drains their sick and vacation banks, leaving lit...
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