Good Leave Management Is Good Business Strategy
Life is getting heavier. Our organizations need to do everything they can to relieve some of the weight. This is a business issue. Employee leave requests have risen for the third consecutive year as employees take more time off to deal with illnesses, mental health challenges, and caregiving responsibilities. The way we do (or do not) support our employees through their leaves factor into the weight of their overall load.
When employees have bad leave experiences, they eventually return to work unmotivated and they start job hunting. The best organizations are improving their approach to leave management. They're investing in new leave technology and properly training their managers to handle leave requests appropriately. I’ve seen so many places where our managers struggle with leaves because they don’t remember what they learned about leave in the 1-hour HR orientation they got when they became a manager 15 years ago.
When employees have good leave experiences, they eventually return to work motivated and productive. We all remember who showed up for us when we were in a tough spot, that especially includes our employer. I’m at the age now where many of my friends are juggling school aged kids and aging parents. I see the exasperation my friends have when their companies make the already difficult task of caring for aging parents more of a hassle from the administrative side. Please believe they will remember that friction the next time a recruiter sends them a note.
I’ve been fortunate to work for a number of organizations that have generous paid leave policies. Now that I consult with a wide array of organizations, I see firsthand that generous paid leave plans are far from ubiquitous. Minimal paid-leave benefits spell trouble: the employee’s financial resources will be constrained at the exact moment that they deal with critical issues for themselves or someone they are a caretaker for. This is struggle piled on top of struggle. Employers can ease the burden with more robust paid-leave policies.
Administration of leave can be challenging, especially as organizations work to manage FMLA and intermittent leave. There is a significant amount of gray area when it comes to leave. We also have to acknowledge that there are some people that will abuse leave policies to their advantage. I’m of the opinion that leave abusers are in the minority. I believe most people have pride in the work they do, and are eager to get back to it once the reason for their leave has subsided.
If you want your workforce to give 100% when they’re on the job, support them 100% when they need to temporarily step away from the job. This isn’t just being kind, this is good business.
Source: https://absencesoft.com/reports/report-2025/
