John Schembari, an attorney at Kutak Rock and nationally recognized for legal services in employee benefits and workplace issues, says municipal and state laws in place or on the horizon are increasingly mandating paid parental leave. Schembari made his comments in a story published Monday, January 16, 2017 in the Omaha World-Herald: "Large companies, including many with Omaha operations, expand their paid family leave policies."

The article outlines how employers are adopting more comprehensive paid leave policies, including gender-neutral policies offering men and women the same benefit of paid time off, or allotting the greater amount of paid time off to the primary caregiver, regardless of gender. Previously employees typically used a combination of their own paid time off and short-term disability to care for a child. Schembari points out that these changes have accelerated elsewhere, but are only beginning to affect the middle of the country. "There is still a ‘buzz’ about paid parental leave on the coasts, but I have not seen many Midwestern companies make major changes,” Schembari said.

However, that is changing. “As these state and local laws gain more traction, I expect to see many more employers increasing their paid leave programs," said Schembari.

To see the entire World-Herald article, please click here.