Paid Leave and the Pandemic: Effective Workplace Policies and Practices for a Time of Crisis and Beyond

Promundo and Paid Leave for the United States (PL+US), in collaboration with the Parental Leave Corporate Task Force (PLCTF), surveyed and interviewed 40 companies across the US and the UK, representing more than half a million employees globally. The study assessed the impact of paid leave policies on companies of various sizes: large (over 5,000 employees), medium (51-5,000 employees), and small (1-50 employees).

This new study reveals that employers with strong paid leave policies were better able to respond and adapt to the macro-level shock caused by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost three quarters (72.5%) of businesses surveyed reported that their paid leave policies positively impacted their ability to navigate the crisis, further bolstering the business and public policy case for expansion and implementation of paid leave policies. Companies that offered paid leave policies also benefited from greater employee morale, workplace satisfaction, and retention and were better able to support women considering exiting the workforce amidst rising caregiving and parenting responsibilities.

Read the key findings here.