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Just wanted to say hello to my Texas peeps!!
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Just wanted to say hello to my Texas peeps!!
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Conversation Starter
In general I believe America is the least civilized country in the world when it comes to support to new parents and the paternity/maternity leave policy. I am lucky to work for one now offering 16 weeks paid leave for both mother and father, but it is not the case for many others around me.
Whether the company is required to provide medical leave can depend on various factors, primarily the size of the company. If a company is smaller than some number of employees it's exempt. And in the case of maternity leave that's up to the states, I don't think there's any federal regulation for that. You should talk to someone in your new company and see if they're thinking of offering it. And, to be honest, you should have checked that before taking the job.
There are only two countries in the world that don't require companies to pay maternity leave: Tuvalu and the United States. It's actually crazy, I can't believe that every other country in the world has it except for us (and Tuvalu).
Wait seriously? That's unheard of. They still have to offer the federal/state leave policies that exist though right? Like you could still use FMLA if you need to? It's still so messed up they don't offer anything but I just wanted to make sure they couldn't let you go if you were to need government-sanctioned leave (like FMLA and disability)?
It's because not all companies are required to have maternity/medical leave in the USA. My company had NO maternity leave for when I was pregnant last year. And because the size of our Texas office, we also didn't have FMLA. I ended up getting benefits through our short-term disability provider.
Very possible. There’s no federal right to paid maternity/paternity leave. Depending on the size of the employer and how long the employee has worked there, the employee may be entitled to leave under FMLA. If a pregnant employee has a pregnancy related disability, they are entitled to accommodations under the ADA. State and/or local laws may make the provision of (paid) sick or parental leave mandatory, but that is also usually tied to employer size and employee status (length of employment and/or full or part time status) and there are only a handful of states/cities in the US that require it. So depending on what city and state you live in, your employer is probably not legally required to provide paid leave. Sorry for the bad news.
Is this a small sized or start up?
I have the same situation at my company. It actually happens at more companies than you would think. I wish they would just regulate it on a federal level.
Conversation Starter
Behind the times for sure!
That is governed by federal law and depends on the size of the company. If they are small enough, they don't have to offer this benefit because they cannot afford to pay people who are not actually working.