TO: SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT CEO AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS
FROM: UNDERSIGNED HR PROFESSIONALS
We are writing today as HR professionals who are concerned about The Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) position on paid family leave.
Lack of adequate paid family leave is an area of growing concern for many employers, which SHRM noted in its list of “5 Employee Handbook Issues to Watch in 2018” at the beginning of this year. Fittingly, employers are increasingly reviewing their paid family leave policies and updating them to better meet the needs of employees and their families.
SHRM, however, is out of step with the growing momentum to ensure that working people are able to take the time that they need to be with their families when they are needed most.
In fact, SHRM’s position on paid family leave stands in direct opposition to the ambition shown by private sector employers to ensure that working people have adequate access to paid family leave.
As the largest HR professional society, SHRM’s positions on public policy carry significant weight. This is why we, the undersigned HR professionals, urge SHRM to withdraw support for HR 4219, the so called “Workflex Act” and instead support the FAMILY Act, a policy proposal that is far better suited to address paid family leave needs of working Americans.
SHRM’s promotion of the Workflex Act as a solution to growing demand for paid family leave in the United States is counterproductive. If passed, the Workflex Act would have the impact of reducing access to paid leave for many working people who live in states with laws that provide more expansive benefits, and additionally, the amount of time allocated for paid leave under the Workflex Act falls far short of what is needed to address the caregiving crisis in this country.
Whereas, the FAMILY Act, if passed, would not only create a simplified national policy landscape, but ensure that working people are able to access sufficient time to care for a newly arrived child, care for a seriously ill family member, or address their own serious illness.
We urge the SHRM CEO and Board of Directors to re-evaluate its position on paid family leave in order to better align both with the needs of working Americans, and with the growing consensus from employers - that working Americans need a real solution for paid family leave.
Ron Storn
Chief People Officer
Zume Inc.
Janet Van Huysse
VP HR, Head of People
formerly Twitter, Sony Pictures, AOL
Sharon Evans-Ford
Air Force Personnel Center
Dr. Leonardo Legorreta
Professor Emeritus of Business
California State University, Sacramento
Nathalie Barbara Robisco
Elizabeth Enright
Career Coach
Diane Pierce
Office Manager
Mary Ila Ward
President
Horizon Point Consulting, Inc.
Damarys Reyes
Human Resources Director
Amy Rottier
CFO
Congruent Counseling Svcs
Robert Jay Ross
Chief of Staff
Purpose
Dale Bernstein
Vice President, Human Resources
Low Emissions Resources Group
Pawiter Parhar
Grass Roots
DNC/DCCC
Jim Parker
Kathleen R Dannemiller
Director - Talent Management & Associate Relations - currently retired
Caleres, Inc. (formerly Brown Shoe Company)
Tara Rivard
HR Generalist
Lisa Dempsey
Managing Director
Leadership Labs
Barbara Jean Williams
President
Pearls for Her
Ron Deutsch
Principal/Owner
AspenBeach Consulting Ltd
Cheyenne Clonch
HR Manager
Kevin Walsh
interviewer
Quinnipiac
D. Lavelada Davis
Benefits Administrator
Greenpoint Financial/ TCV Construction
Marty Collins
Merrill A. Carter
CACIII
Anne Ryland
Physician Assustant
Rogue Valley Physicians
Christopher Stimson
Verdad Y Justicia
Teresa Collins
HR Administrator
Theresa Murphy
S. Dana Marie Heffner, SSND
Administrator/HR
School Sisters of Notre Dame
Elizabeth Kisling
Senior Supervisor
County Government
John Hydar
Assistant Director
Cherie Connick
Sara A. Stewart
Teacher
Tucson unified school district
Tanya Lewis
Strategy Operations and Technology Consultant
LEWIS GARRETT
Nancy Aita
President
Aita & Assoc. Insurance Marketing, Inc.
Rula Adranly
HR Business Partner
Beatriz Cardenas
Joseph Cameron
Employee Development Specialist
Marcus Straub
Owner
Jodie Williams
Occupational Therapy Manager
Deborah Williams
BBA-Compass Bank
Angela Hurt Gordon
HR manager
Music City Marketing
Christina Leonard
Office Manager
Apple Valley Homes Inc
Micahel Rommal
Karen Kirchdoerfer
Administrative Assistant
Julia Silbergeld
Director of Organizational Development and HR
MoveOn
Ben Joffe Walt
COO
Change.org
Annie Foley
Owner
Human to Human Resources
D. Eric Noble
HR Director - Recruitment & Operations
Unity Health Care, Inc.
B Master
Anna Agasi
Supervisor of Time & Leave
QDA
Nicole Tacktikos
Recruiter
Rosalinda Garcia
Receptionist
EnLink Midstream
Cheri
HR Representative
Nicole Loth
Director of Human Resources
Jennifer Plumey
HR Coordinator
Jennifer Jones
Sourcing Analyst
Ellen Bauer
General Board Member of SHRM
Roanoke College, SHRM
Neil Donovan
Consultant/Investor
Self-Employed
Jasmine S Jackson
HR Generalist
Rahel Smith
Senior HR Consultant
Options4Growth
Inanna Hazel
Managing Director
Pesticide Action Network
Diane Pierce
Office Manager
Mithun-Oliver X-ray, Inc.