A study conducted by the Pew Research Center Survey has found most Americans are in favor of paid leave but suspect their co-workers might abuse it. The study has shed light on the attitudes of Americans on how they feel they used paid leave versus how they feel their co-workers use the same benefits.

Co-workers Skeptical of Paid Leave Use by Colleagues

Of those surveyed in the Pew study, around 75 percent of those who identified as Republican supported having a federal law in place to require employers to offer some type of paid family leave. Of the same group surveyed, 90 percent of those who identified as Democrat also supported such regulations. However, those figures don’t show the full story.

In the same group surveyed in the study, 55 percent feel it is at least somewhat common for workers to abuse paid leave. However, they showed no sign of feeling they abused the system themselves. This shows most Americans feel they should have paid leave and can use the system, but don’t trust their co-workers to show the same respect.

The opinion does not shock most employers, as they often report their workers seem to get sick on Mondays and Fridays the most often. However, paid leave seems to be on the up, with more regulations passing in every state to provide workers with some form of paid leave.

Employers can help alleviate abuse and poor opinions about their paid leave by implementing good sense policies. For instance, mandating paid leave be planned at least 30 days in advance and requiring re-certification for medical leave every 30 days can be a proactive measure to lessen abuse of the system.

Keeping everything in writing can also go a long way. It is much more difficult to abuse a system where there is a paper trail. Even further, the paper trail will have the psychological effect on workers to be more careful with their time. Companies that have many issues with family leave abuse may also consider requiring employees to use their vacation time before they can use family leave. This will make employees more careful when deciding to take a leave of absence.

At Erik B. Jensen & Associates, we work to protect workers’ rights under the FMLA. If you feel your right to family leave has been violated, contact our Philadelphia family law lawyers today. We understand the intricacies of the law and will use our knowledge and experience to help you receive justice.