Emory University has expanded its health benefits by offering employees three weeks of paid parental leave.
The benefit, started this month, is available to university staff any time during the first year after the birth or adoption of a baby. The paid leave is available for male and female employees, and is available to each parent if both are eligible Emory staff members.
Staff members already receive 12 weeks of unpaid leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act policy.
Faculty at the University of Georgia pushed for a similar benefit for employees at the state's flagship institution as an incentive to attract and keep highly-qualified employees. The idea was rebuffed by officials at the state's University System, who said offering the paid parental leave to employees was too expensive. For the past two years, leaders of Georgia's public college and university system have made salary hikes for employees a priority over other benefit increases.
Emory’s new parental leave benefit applies to university staff, post-doctoral fellows, and librarians. It does not apply to some medical staff or faculty, who have separate parental leave policies. Eligible staff must have worked at least 20 hours per week, and must have worked at Emory for 12 consecutive months immediately prior to the birth or adoption. Temporary employees are also not eligible for the expanded benefit.
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