FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE LEGISLATION - ORGANIZATIONAL POLICIES AND STRATEGIES

Problems have resulted from the novel situation in the U.S. society wh ere more and more parents are working, leaving them with less time and energy during the period surrounding the birth and early growth of an ew infant. This issue has received considerable attention from both th e private and public sectors. An increasing number of progressive comp anies have been proactive in offering paid and unpaid family leaves as part of their employees' benefit package. On February 5, 1993, Presid ent Clinton signed a bill into law granting up to a total of 12 weeks of unpaid leave during any 12 month period to cope with a family sickn ess, childbirth or adoption. This paper discusses the history of famil y leaves and the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) al ong with its provisions and implications. The FMLA is just a first ste p for the U.S. as other countries provide paid family leave with varyi ng percentages of pay compared to the U.S. Examples of leave policies around the world are examined.