As Regina Warfel is preparing to welcome her child Garrett into the world, she does not have to worry about getting time off with her son.
Warfel, the research and assessment analyst for the Career and Leadership Development Center, said she has Ohio University’s pilot parental leave program in place so when she has her baby she will have at least six weeks of paid leave time.
OU’s pilot parental leave program allows benefits-eligible faculty, administrators and non-bargaining unit classified staff to take up to 12 weeks of parental leave for the birth or adoption of a child, according to the university’s website. Under the policy, OU will pay for six weeks of parental leave of the employee’s current salary rate. The remaining six weeks will be unpaid, but they can be covered by accrued vacation time and sick leave.
If both parents qualify, each can use the program after contacting their supervisors and filling out the Family Medical Leave Act application form and the pilot parental leave form.
OU’s pilot parental leave program will become the official policy by the end of the fiscal year, Greg Fialko, director of benefits in Human Resources, said. The fiscal year ends June 30.
The transition to the official policy wasexpected to be completed by December 2016, according to the university's website.
The pilot program was first introduced in January 2013.
“It was introduced as a pilot program to allow the university to collect and use participation data in reviewing whether an official policy was viable,” Fialko said in an email.
Prior to the pilot program, employees either used paid time off or a flexible work schedule, Fialko said.
Warfel’s due date is Nov. 21, and she is having her first child. When she submitted the paperwork for the leave policy, she specified she would start her leave the day of her due date.
“The really nice thing about the policy is the level of flexibility it has,” Warfel said. “We’re thinking we’ll just keep coming to work until I actually deliver.”
Her husband Greg Moeller, assistant dean for student success in the Scripps College of Communication, will also be taking advantage of the leave policy.
After the first six weeks, Warfel said she and Moeller plan to come back part-time.
“We feel we’re doubly lucky because we both work for the university and so we both get an equal amount of leave,” Warfel said.
In addition to the flexibility of the leave policy, Warfel said she likes the length of time off.
“I really like how (OU is) prioritizing it,” Warfel said. “It does make us think about if we have a second baby, this would be a good place to stay.”
The United States does not mandate paid leave for new parents and is the only highly competitive country where mothers are not guaranteed paid leave, according to The Washington Post. South Korea, Japan and Austria offer more than a year’s worth of paid leave.
“If countries are giving you a year of paid leave, I think that shows is how demanding having a child is,” Warfel said. “Other counties see it as a huge responsibility and priority, and we just see it as an individual problem.”
Erin Morgenstern, assistant director for leadership for the Career and Leadership Development Center, had her first child, Rowan, in July and used OU’s policy. Because of the policy, she was able to take 12 weeks off.
“Knowing how much I needed to be there for those first few weeks after Rowan was born, I can’t imagine not having those (weeks),” Morgenstern said.
She said she wishes the U.S. mandated paid parental leave.
“We’re so progressive as a country, you would think this would be something we would also be progressive about,” Morgenstern said. “In a capital market, it’s really difficult to do because you are constantly striving to be more successful in different ways and it’s really hard to … allow people to take that much leave."
She likened being a new parent to starting a new job.
“You have no idea what you are doing. You hope someone is going to train you on how to do it, but most of the time they don’t," Morgenstern said. "But eventually you get the hang out of it after a few months, and then it starts to become natural.”
