Policy Presentation

Comparison Infographic

Mary Garcia

Soc 5620 Sociology of Contemporary Society

Professor : Alan Barton

December 23 2019

Recommendations for Improvement

Based on the above comparison infographic, it is evident that the leave policies in the United States are not family-friendly. In other words, they are not family-oriented compared to the rest of the world such as Norway and the U.K. Typically, the U.S. does not offer paid leave according to the FMLA federal law. The leave duration is also variable and mostly two weeks (Alls-Hall, 2018). The period is inadequate for employees to address their family issues. Therefore, the first recommendation for the U.S. should be to offer paid leaves to employees. Money is among the most significant incentives to workers and offering paid leaves will motivate employees as well as increase their productivity. It will also demonstrate the value that the government and employers put on the family. Employees are likely to work hard when they can be guaranteed the chance to care for their families (Ray et al., 2009). Secondly, the U.S. should also increase the duration of the leave to enable employees to address their family concerns effectively. The current two weeks is inadequate. Lastly, leave benefits should be funded by both employers and the government to reduce the associated costs. This will increase overall employee performance and productivity.

References

Alls-Hall, A. (2018). Comparing Parental Leave Packages Across Countries.

Ray, R., Gornick, J. C., & Schmitt, J. (2009). Parental leave policies in 21 countries: Assessing generosity and gender equality. Center for Economic and Policy Research.

U.S. FAMILY LEAVE POLICIES

THE REST OF THE DEVELOPED WORLD (NORWAY)

VS.

COMPENSATION

Do not offer financial compensation during the time of leave

Offers financial compensation to both mother and father

LENGTH IN WEEKS

Parental leave is variable and not paid. Mostly two weeks according to the FMLA federal law

Parental leave is about 197 weeks and payable

EMPLOYMENT DURATION

One must be an employee for about 6 months to be eligible for family leave

To be eligible, one must be an employee for 12 months full-time or worked for 1250 hours as part time

FUNDING SOURCE

Funded by the government

Leave packages are funded by employers