Two New Jersey Republican legislators are seeking passage of a bill that would use $100 million a year in state unemployment insurance funds to provide working parents up to three months of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child.
Under the proposal, men and women would each qualify for up to $429 a week for 12 weeks, which is what they’d be eligible to collect if they were out of work.
New Jersey is among 18 states considering the proposal, which is expected to draw fierce opposition from the business community, already struggling to fill jobs in a tight labor market.
Not one state offers paid time off for new parents. Currently, working parents are eligible to take up to three months of unpaid leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.
The United States trails other countries in its medical-leave policies. All 15 countries in the European Union either provide paid leave or are in the process of developing policies.
Families in Canada are now eligible for a full year of paid maternity and parental benefits using unemployment funds.
ALL THE RAGE
DOT-COMS BEEF UP SECURITY
With work-related stress and violence on the rise, dot-com companies in the Silicon Valley are beefing up security to protect against potential episodes of “desk rage.”
Business is booming for private detectives, off-duty cops, executive bodyguards and computer-security experts, hired to keep disgruntled workers from sabotaging equipment or attacking their colleagues.
“We’re doing a lot of business with companies laying off employees,” said John Sleeman of Silicon Valley’s Security and Patrol. “They want to make sure the person they are laying off doesn’t go crazy.”
Security measures have increased dramatically since Michael McDermott, described as a quiet and talented software tester, was charged with killing seven co-workers the day after Christmas at Edgewater Technology, an Internet company outside Boston. He reportedly was angered by the company’s cooperation with an IRS garnishment of his wages.
IN SEARCH OF . . .
QUALIFIED CEOS
Executive searches increased 52 percent from 1999 to 2000 as market adjustments forced companies to replace poorly performing CEOs with proven leaders, according to Christian & Timbers, a CEO and executive search firm.
Even in an economic downtown, technology continues to drive search activity.
“Venture capital firms still support companies with a strong promise,” said ViciWayne, a managing director with the firm’s San Francisco office.
“Quality leadership for these firms is more important than ever.”
CUSTOMIZED BENEFITS
ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL
An article in January’s “Harvard Management Update,” the Harvard Business School newsletter, encourages companies to drop their one-size-fits-all approach to retention and adopt so-called cafeteria benefit plans that are tailored to the individual employee.
One common mistake company executives make is assuming that additional compensation is the cure-all. While more money might appeal to some employees, others value opportunity, flexibility or more time off.
Employers should tailor their retention strategies by identifying their most valuable workers, finding out what they want, then casting a wide net in creating opportunities for them, the article says.
———-
T. Shawn Taylor, staylor@tribune.com
