Dayton to offer paid parental leave

The city of Dayton will start offering paid parental leave to its employees, a change aimed partly at attracting and retaining young talent to the organization.

Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley announced the new employee benefits at a press conference this morning.

She said city employees, especially women, could use some help from their employer balancing their work and personal lives.

“We had a way lower paid-parental leave than even the state of Ohio, so we made changes to be more family-friendly here,” Whaley said during an interview.

The city did not have any paid parental leave.

Employees could seek time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act, which allows workers to take unpaid leave for up to 12 weeks and know their jobs are protected while they are gone.

But city employees who called off would have to use their vacation or sick days, otherwise they would not be paid.

Under the city’s new policy, employees who legally adopt a new child or have a natural birth will have a 14-calendar-day waiting period, during which time they will have to use their sick time, vacation or not be paid for missing work.

But after 14 days, the city will give workers 70 percent of their salaries for the next 28 calendar days. Or workers can receive 100 percent of their pay by supplementing their checks with vacation or sick time.

The policy applies to permanent full-time and part-time employees who work at at least 35 hours per week. It also will allow employees to use unpaid leave without first having to deplete their paid leave.

Some city employees are in relationships with co-workers and other city staff. Previously, only one member of the household was allowed to take leave after a birth or adoption. The new policy will allow both partners to take time off.

“We want to encourage shared responsibilities for men and women, both at home and at work, because frankly that helps women stay in the workforce, it helps our workforce and it helps people reach their full potential and abilities to their job performance and home performance,” Whaley said.