Paternity leave for small companies... any rules?

Employment Law Forum
1

I work for a small company with about 8 to 10 employees, and I was curious about paternity leave requirements. Are companies this size required to offer paternity leave, or is it up to them? Anyone know what’s typical?

2

I think companies with under 50 employees don’t have to follow the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). You might wanna double-check that, though.

3

Colby said:
I think companies with under 50 employees don’t have to follow the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). You might wanna double-check that, though.

Oh, interesting! So FMLA only kicks in if the company has 50 or more employees?

4

@No1Juror
Yep, exactly. Smaller companies aren’t legally required to give leave under FMLA. It’s up to their own policies.

5

If you’re in Ohio, there’s a state code, but I think it only applies to public employees. Private companies aren’t covered.

6

Reagan said:
If you’re in Ohio, there’s a state code, but I think it only applies to public employees. Private companies aren’t covered.

Ah, that makes sense. I thought it might be statewide but looks like it’s just for public sector folks.

7

Honestly, with smaller companies, a lot of leave policies are up to them. Some might give unpaid time off if you ask.

8

Zed said:
Honestly, with smaller companies, a lot of leave policies are up to them. Some might give unpaid time off if you ask.

Good to know. So basically, it’s just whether they decide to be flexible with it or not?

9

@No1Juror
Yep, pretty much! It’s worth checking if they’d let you use vacation days too, if you have any saved up.

10

Some places just let you use sick leave or vacation days for paternity leave if they don’t have a formal policy.

11

Willow said:
Some places just let you use sick leave or vacation days for paternity leave if they don’t have a formal policy.

That’s a good point. I’ll check if they’re okay with using sick days for it. Thanks!

12

Honestly, I think it’s a bit unfair that small companies don’t have to offer this. Wish there were more protections in place.

13

Soren said:
Honestly, I think it’s a bit unfair that small companies don’t have to offer this. Wish there were more protections in place.

Yeah, I feel that. Would be nice if there was something consistent across all companies, big or small.