New parents who work for Lehigh County may soon enjoy eight weeks of paid parental leave after the birth or adoption of a child.
In his first major piece of legislation since taking office in January, county Executive Josh Siegel on Wednesday asked the county commissioners to approve a policy change that would put the county, as an employer, on par with many large corporations.
“I believe Lehigh County can be a leader in recruitment and retention and lead by example, hopefully for other large employers in the region, to offer a policy like this,” Siegel said. “I think this is not only a great retention tool but makes sense from a budgetary perspective.”
Turnover is extraordinarily expensive, he said, noting that it costs about 20% of a worker’s annual wages to replace them if they leave. The county has about 2,200 employees.
“As we look for creative and nuanced ways to be a leader in attraction, retention, and recruitment of the best workforce in the Lehigh Valley, I think this is a great policy to say that as a county, we don’t ever want parents to have to choose between a paycheck and caring for a loved one,” Siegel said.
The board will vote on the update to the personnel and policy procedures manual April 22.
All the commissioners present at Wednesday’s meeting said they were in favor of the change. Zach Cole-Borghi, who was recently charged with drug trafficking, was the only commissioner not present.
Commissioner Sarah Fevig, a mother of three who works in higher education, said paid parental leave allowed her to advance in her career while raising a family.
“It really was a game changer,” she said. “Knowing that it was there was key to me being able to more forward as a professional. Having that safety net was really important.”
Fevig noted that the new policy would be more generous than what some employers offer because it would not require county employees to use all their sick time and vacation before taking advantage of the eight weeks paid time off.
“I think this will be a great retention tool,” Fevig said.
“Simply put, this is a great thing,” Commissioner Antonio Pineda said. “I think this is the wave of the future for how you should be treating your employees.”
To qualify for the eight weeks of paid parental leave, employees must have worked for the county for at least 12 months. An employee who quits immediately following the eight weeks would be required to reimburse the county.
The leave runs concurrently with an employee’s Family and Medical Leave Act eligibility. FMLA is a federal law that allows most employees at companies with 50 or more staff to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for the birth or adoption of a child.
The policy was modeled after Montgomery County’s, which offers 12 weeks of parental leave. If approved, it would affect all county employees, union and nonunion. Unlike FMLA leave, the proposed parental leave cannot be taken intermittently.
A 2023 Drexel University report found that paid family leave encourages workers, especially women, to stay more attached to their jobs and be more likely to return after giving birth. Businesses surveyed found that having a paid family leave policy aided in employee recruitment.
Drexel researchers also found that employees who were able to stay home with a newborn without using sick days were less likely to come to work while ill and potentially spread illness around the workplace.
Siegel spearheaded a similar benefit for nonunion Allentown municipal employees in 2022 when he was a member of City Council. Those workers now get six weeks of paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child.
Siegel noted that the new policy would not cost the county any additional money since the employee’s salary is already budgeted.