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City proposes separating recovery and bonding leave; bonding benefit to be taken intermittently up to one year
Summary
HR presented a draft parental‑leave policy that splits leave into birthing‑parent recovery leave (continuous) and an intermittent bonding leave available to all parents for up to a year; 24/7 departments will have tailored hour counts to reflect shift schedules.
Salt Lake City human resources staff presented a proposed revision to the city’s parental leave policy at the Feb. 18 work session that separates leave into two parts: continuous recovery leave for birthing parents and an intermittent bonding leave available to all parents.
Key elements - Recovery leave: designated for the birthing parent, intended to be taken continuously following delivery. Staff recommended up to 12 weeks for recovery leave in the draft discussed at the work session. - Bonding leave: available to all eligible employees (non‑birthing parents, adoptive parents, guardians). Staff proposed allowing bonding leave to be taken intermittently — not required to be taken only at birth or placement — and to be used up to one year from the child’s birth or placement. The proposal is designed to give families more flexibility (for example, for childcare scheduling or phased returns to work). - Shift‑work departments: HR told the council the policy includes a larger hour‑count equivalent for public‑safety shift schedules (fire was cited as an example) because firefighters and other 24/7 staff schedule in 48‑hour blocks; HR recommended a 240‑hour recovery allotment in those circumstances to provide an equivalent leave length.
Council feedback and follow up Council members praised the increased flexibility and asked HR to consider additional protections for employees who experience pregnancy loss or stillbirth; staff said they are exploring options including enhanced state‑benefit supplements (SDI) and a possible extended bereavement leave for those rare but serious outcomes.
Next steps HR plans to include the draft policy and any budget implications in the upcoming annual budget process and to continue refining the policy language and implementation steps with departments.
Speakers quoted or paraphrased in the article are city Human Resources staff who presented the draft and council members who asked clarifying questions at the Feb. 18 work session.
