New Guide Walks New York Entrepreneurs Through Ins and Outs of State̢??‰?s Proposed Family Medical Leave Policy

New York, NY̢??‰??In celebration of National Small Business Week, Small Business Majority released a comprehensive guide today to help New York small employers understand the state̢??‰?s proposed Paid Family Leave Insurance legislation and how enacting a stronger family leave insurance program could benefit their small business. If enacted, the PFLI program would create an insurance program that would enable workers in New York state to take up to 12 weeks of paid time away from work in order to care for a loved one or bond with a new child. The program would be entirely funded by modest employee contributions, and employees who take leave would be guaranteed job protection.

̢???Small business owners believe it̢??‰?s important for employees who need to balance their work and family responsibilities to have reasonable options for doing so̢??‰۝options that also serve the interests of employers,̢???? said Donna Dolan, Executive Director of the New York Paid Leave Coalition. ̢???With that in mind, it̢??‰?s easy to understand why small businesses support strengthening Paid Family Leave Insurance policies. When employees know they can take time off to bond with a new child or if a loved one has a serious medical emergency, they experience less stress in the workplace and are more productive, which boosts small businesses̢??‰? bottom lines and strengthens the economy.̢????

Polling recently released by Small Business Majority found New York small business owners support publicly administered family and medical leave insurance pools, paid with payroll contributions by employees and employers.

In addition, Small Business Majority and its partners have been doing a full-court press over the past year to ensure entrepreneurs have all the educational tools they need to understand this law and other family medical leave policies across the country.

̢???Strong family leave policies help level the playing field between small businesses that want to offer this benefit but can̢??‰?t, and their larger counterparts that can,̢???? said Erik Rettig, Northeast Outreach Manager for Small Business Majority. ̢???Small employers know robust family leave policies create a happier and more productive staff, which in turn leads to increased productivity. Many small business owners think of their employees as family, so it̢??‰?s no surprise they support policies that enable them to foster a happier workforce while protecting their workers and their bottom line. We hope that New York lawmakers will move this legislation forward and enact a more comprehensive family leave insurance program and that this guide allows employers to find the information they need to better understand the proposed policy.̢????

To get a full run-down of what Small Business Majority is doing to keep small businesses up-to-date about policies that affect them, visit our website.

To view the fact sheet visit: http://www.smallbusinessmajority.org/small-business-resources/workforce/new-york-family-leave-insurance.php