More than 80 percent of employers covered by the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) said the law's provisions had a positive effect or no noticeable effect on business productivity, profitability and growth, according to a new survey co-authored by Columbia Social Work Professor Jane Waldfogel. In addition, two-thirds of employers said that complying with FMLA was somewhat or very easy.

The survey, Balancing the Needs of Families and Employers, was commissioned by the U.S. Department of Labor. A total of 2,558 interviews with employees and employers were conducted in the summer and fall of 2000.

Waldfogel was not surprised that a majority of employers reported that employee leave did not harm productivity.

"The median period for leave is relatively short--about 10 days," she said. "Also, other employees are pitching in and helping out their co-workers who take a leave from work"

According to the Department of Labor, FMLA provides covered and eligible workers with up to 12 weeks of job-protected, unpaid leave so they can care for a seriously ill child, spouse or parent; stay home to care for their newborn, newly adopted or newly placed child; or take time off when they are seriously ill. Eligible employees are those who work for a company or business that employs at least 50 workers and who have worked for their employer for at least 1250 hours over a 12-month period.

The survey also found workers backed FMLA's provisions. A majority (78.7 percent) said taking leave had a positive effect on their ability to care for family members and 73 percent were somewhat or very satisfied with the amount of time they took off during their longest leave period. One-sixth of all employees reported taking leave for a family or medical reason, about the same proportion as in a 1995 survey. Although leave-taking did not increase overall since 1995, it did increase for some groups of employees, including older employees and employees with children. Moreover, a declining share of employees said that they needed leave for family or medical reasons but were unable to take it.

Despite support for leave policies, employees listed economic considerations as reasons for not taking leave. More than one-third of leave takers received no pay during their longest leave. Moreover, 88 percent of those who said they needed time off--but did not take it--said they would have taken leave if they could have received more or some pay during their leave.

"There's a lot of room for growth in the nation's leave policies," said Waldfogel, noting that FMLA covers only 60 percent of all workers. We should also consider how to implement a provision for paid leave without having employers bear the brunt of the cost."

She noted that European nations typically offer 16 weeks maternity leave--compared to 12 in the United States--during which time employees may be paid from 90 to 100 percent of their salaries. Workers on leave are paid through a public insurance fund, to which both employees and employers contribute.