Employee Benefits
The SHRM Employee Benefits Survey returns with new insights for 2023.
Leave Benefits for the Modern Workforce
Leave benefits have emerged as a critical tool for employers attempting to combat employee turnover and improve retention. As employees struggle to balance work and personal responsibilities, they increasingly value the flexibility and support offered by comprehensive leave initiatives. Leave has been shown to help combat burnout and improve employee well-being, leading to increased job satisfaction.
Employers have taken note of this trend and are expanding their leave options, particularly the various types of leave available for new parents. By investing in leave benefits, organizations can demonstrate their commitment to supporting employees and preventing burnout, which has become even more important in a red-hot labor market.
Continue below to explore leave benefits and what organizations like yours are offering.
Paid Vacation Leave
Paid Sick Leave
Paid Time Off (PTO)
including both vacation and sick time
Paid Open/Unlimited Leave
How Do Your Benefits Stack Up?
Use the tool below to explore benefit categories by industry, organization size or location
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No Change
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How Leave is Determined
A significant majority of organizations—80%— determine the amount of available leave based on an employee’s service time (i.e., their tenure at the organization). However, 46% of organizations consider the number of hours worked when determining available leave, up 5 percentage points since 2022. Lastly, 27% of organizations say the employee’s level in the organization factors into the amount of leave available.
Leave Pay-Out Program
61% have a program in place to pay out workers’ leave in full or in part when they exit their jobs.
Leave Cash-Out Program
22% offer some form of a leave cash-out program, in which employees may be paid for part of their accrued leave balance upon request or annually.
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Leave Donation Program
25% provide a leave donation program that allows employees to give some of their accumulated leave to their co-workers.
Leave for New Parents
Leave for new parents has increased across the board since 2022. Some parental leave benefits spiked temporarily during the pandemic, then dropped to be closer to pre-pandemic levels. Now, however, they appear to be on the rise again, reaching higher levels than in 2019. This increase from both pre-pandemic and 2022 levels shows that employers may be emphasizing the importance of leave for parents to care for and bond with new children.
Paid Maternity Leave
Paid Paternity Leave
Paid Parental Leave
Paid Family Leave
Percentages represent the number of employers who offer each type of leave for new parents beyond what is covered by short-term disability and/or the law.
Paid Adoption Leave
Paid Foster Leave
Family Leave
More than 8 out of 10—83%—of organizations offer up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for immediate family members, while 36% offer the same for extended family (e.g., siblings, grandparents, in-laws). The percentage of organizations offering paid leave increased slightly from last year, with 33% of employers offering this benefit for immediate family and 18% for extended family.
Well-Being Leave
Paid Bereavement Leave 91%
Paid Mental Health Days 19%
Unpaid Sabbaticals 8%
Paid Sabbaticals 7%
Civic Leave
Paid Time Off to Vote
Unpaid Time Off to Vote*
*Beyond what is required by law
Paid Time Off for Volunteering
Paid Time Off to Attend a Protest/for Activism
