Executive Agencies Must Provide Paid Parental and Family-related Leave to Federal Employees | Practical Law

Executive Agencies Must Provide Paid Parental and Family-related Leave to Federal Employees | Practical Law

President Obama has released a Presidential Memorandum directing federal departments and executive agencies to implement a policy advancing federal employees up to six weeks of paid sick leave in connection with the birth or adoption of a child, as well as “for other sick leave eligible uses” including caring for sick family members.

Executive Agencies Must Provide Paid Parental and Family-related Leave to Federal Employees

by Practical Law Labor & Employment
Published on 23 Jan 2015 • USA (National/Federal)
President Obama has released a Presidential Memorandum directing federal departments and executive agencies to implement a policy advancing federal employees up to six weeks of paid sick leave in connection with the birth or adoption of a child, as well as “for other sick leave eligible uses” including caring for sick family members.
On January 15, 2015, President Obama released a Presidential Memorandum directing federal departments and executive agencies to implement a policy advancing federal employees up to six weeks of paid sick leave in connection with the birth or adoption of a child, as well as “for other sick leave eligible uses.” This paid sick leave will be extended to employees regardless of how much paid time off they have accrued.
The agencies must implement these required changes within sixty days of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issuing guidance about these advanced sick and annual leave policies. OPM will also issue a summary report of agencies' workplace flexibilities and work-life policies ordered in an earlier presidential memorandum issued on June 23, 2014.
As stated in a Fact Sheet released by the White House on January 14, 2015, the President’s directive “will allow mothers the opportunity to recuperate after childbirth, even if they have not yet accrued enough sick leave. It will also allow spouses and partners to care for mothers during their recuperation periods and will allow both parents to attend proceedings relating to the adoption of a child.”
In addition to requiring paid sick leave for the above purposes, the Presidential Memorandum directs agencies to:
  • Ensure that their existing policies offer employees the maximum amount of advanced annual leave permitted by law for foster care placement in their home or bonding with a healthy newborn or newly adopted child (this too must be implemented within sixty days of OPM issuing guidance).
  • Consider providing employees with access to affordable emergency backup dependent care services.
  • Update their existing leave policies and practices by January 1, 2016 to ensure that employees are aware of the full range of sick or annual leave benefits to which they are entitled.
  • Review their existing leave policies (for example, accrued sick leave, accrued annual leave, Family and Medical Act (FMLA) leave, and leave without pay) in conjunction with implementing the newly-required paid sick leave.
According to the memorandum, the US is the only developed country in the world that does not provide some form of paid parental leave to its federal workforce. The memorandum reflects the Administration's attempt to align the US government's leave policies with the policies of leading private sector companies and other nations.