Voluntary Paid Leave: A Different Way

COVID-19 foisted paid leave into the public conversation. Federal programs like the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) mandated periods of paid leave—short and long—for qualifying employees and offset the expense on businesses with a payroll tax credit. The FFCRA has largely been viewed as a success: both in terms of curbing the pandemic and keeping the heads of many employees who needed medical leave above water.

Since then, many states have debated enacting permanent paid leave programs. These programs have historically been mandatory; meaning that qualifying employers were obligated to offer paid leave to qualifying employees. New Hampshire—in an attempt to balance the benefits of paid leave programs like the FFCRA with our State's more laissez-faire policy instincts—has adopted a first-in-the-nation voluntary paid leave program for companies and individuals alike. Here are the basic mechanics.