Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Panel: Family-Related Workplace Benefits Policies: Inputs, Outcomes, and Costs

(Family and Child Policy)

Employer policies and public programs have been adjusting to changing family structures and the modern constraints on family and work. This panel addresses the determinants, outcomes, and costs of such policies and programs. One paper provides an overview of changes in the provision of family-related benefits in the workplace (e.g. family leave, child care, and workplace flexibility) since the turn of the century. The authors focus on the inputs of family-related workplace benefits by investigating the characteristics of firms and workers that may help predict the types of benefits that are provided by firms. Preliminary findings indicate varying trends for each type of benefit. There is a great deal of research on the impact of family leave policies in the United States on parents, specifically women, however not as much is known about the impact these programs have on children. A second paper examines the impact of paid sick leave and work intensity on receipt of pediatric preventive care, including well-child visits, general dental exams, preventive dental care, influenza vaccines, obesity screening, and vision screening. The authors find paid sick leave is associated with increases in nearly all of these measures. Whereas the previous paper looks at health care utilization, another paper investigates the effect of state paid family leave policies on infant health outcomes. The author finds family leave policies decrease infant mortality, with stronger effects observed in communities with low levels of education. Changing family-friendly policies through government programs, regulations, or direct employer actions may be expensive and controversial. The final paper presents simulation estimates of the cost of paid family leave policies of varying lengths, wage replacement rates, and weekly benefit caps. Results of this study can be used to inform discussions on where to target paid leave benefits to keep program costs in line with goals. Together, these studies have important implications for the increasing dialogue surrounding a federal paid family leave program as well as other family-related workplace benefits at various levels.