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The Sad State of Parental Leave

"[O]ver the past 11 years, the number of organizations offering at least some replacement pay for women on maternity leave has increased from 46 percent to 58 percent. But ... among employers offering any replacement pay, the percentage offering full pay has continued to decline, from 17 percent in 2005 to 10 percent in 2016. In fact, of all employers with 50 or more employees, only 6 percent offer full pay. In addition, daily flexibility, the kind needed for emergencies, has gone down actually, from 87 percent in 2012 to 81 percent in 2016[.]"

Vacation: All They Ever Wanted

"90 percent of employees would choose extra vacation days (or a bonus) over a workplace holiday party.... [On] average, salaried employees in the U.S. with paid-time-off plans receive 17 days after one year of service, 22 days after five years, 25 days after 10 years of service and 28 days after 20 years (this includes vacation, sick days, etc.).... Most employers let workers carry over their paid leave time from one year to the next[.]"

Workers Still Doubt High-Deductible Health Plans

"High-deductible health plans are gaining traction with employers, says one new report ... Another report concludes that growth in adoption of these plans has leveled off. Both reports, however, say many workers are not yet sold on the plans."

Wells Fargo Shows Its Claws

"Months after the revelations that Wells Fargo had engaged in highly questionable (some say illegal) practices, including creating fraudulent accounts, its board of directors has taken action to recoup some of the compensation from the bank's leaders during the time the nefarious schemes were ongoing."

Taking Well-Being's Pulse

"[W]ell-being is continuing to have a big impact, with all well-being dimensions (financial, physical, emotional and social) being viewed by employees as important.... [S]ome of the more traditional elements of physical wellness experienced a decline in importance over the past year. Diet, for example, decreased in importance by 7 percent, from 65 percent to 58 percent. Exercise, meanwhile, dropped 6 percent, from 59 percent to 53 percent.... [E]mployers might want to refresh their efforts in both those areas."

Of RIFs and FMLA Requests

"According to the court, given the weight of the evidence (or lack thereof) and the temporal proximity of the termination, it was not an unreasonable decision by the jury to find in favor of the plaintiff.... [T]he plaintiff made an inquiry to human resources about short-term disability. [The] court found that to be sufficient notice to the employer to at least make an inquiry as to whether FMLA leave notice and adherence obligations were triggered[.]" [Crain v. Schlumberger Technology Corp., No. 15-1777 (E.D. La. Feb. 23, 2017)]

Portlandia: A Surcharge on CEO Pay Imposed by Local Jurisdiction

"[T]he city council in Portland, Ore., voted last week to impose a surtax on companies whose chief executives earn more than 100 times the median pay of their rank-and-file workers beginning next year.... As companies look to address the mechanics of the [Dodd-Frank] pay-ratio rules and prepare early disclosure models ... it's important to understand that the SEC has given companies broad leeway in calculating these ratios. If Portland or other jurisdictions decide they are going to impose a penalty based on ratios, we can expect that companies will take a hard look at the available alternatives and likely will become more aggressive with their method of calculation."

Do CEO Stock Options Mean Trouble?

"The theory ... is that CEO pay should be aligned with the interest of company shareholders. But there's an active debate over whether stock options -- a very common part of CEO compensation packages -- are the best way to do that.... Dylan B. Minor offers evidence that stock options not only encourage CEOs to pursue bold innovation, but also to take dangerous risks."

Giving Parental Leave a Major Boost

"[It's] been 'new-economy' companies like Apple, Netflix and Microsoft that have been getting much of the attention on this front. But ... 'old-economy' companies are jumping on this bandwagon, too. Dow Chemical, founded in 1897 ... [announced] the launch of its Global Parental Leave Policy, giving a minimum of 12 weeks paid leave to mothers and two weeks paid leave to non-birthing parents. Leave can be taken during the 12 months following the birth of a child."

Amazon's New Approach to Parental Leave

"The new policy affords birth mothers with up to four weeks of paid pre-partum medical leave, followed by 10 weeks of paid maternity leave. Birth mothers and all other new parents who have been with the company for more than one year can also take a new six-week paid parental leave.... [T]he company has also unveiled its 'Leave Share' program, which allows eligible employees to share all or some of their six weeks of parental leave with a spouse or partner who doesn't receive paid leave from his or her employer."