Paid time off is an essential component of every employer's benefit package in Illinois. Paid time off, or leave, is a significant source of employee happiness, so it does not matter whether you live in Chicago or Peoria to get a good and appropriate leave plan. The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal law, but each state has its own policies that must be followed.
In Illinois, over 45% of employers provide consolidated leave packages. Many businesses are moving to consolidated leave plans. The first question an employer must ask is whether they want to give a consolidated leave plan or not. A single amount of time is provided by a consolidated leave plan for employees to use for vacation, illness, or personal business.
What if I'm not feeling well and don't want to take a sick day? Is it tracked in some other way? Is it relevant? - Yes. Because more companies are switching to consolidated paid time off or leave plans, it's important to understand the difference between days available. In Illinois, at five years of service, the average number of leave days in a consolidated plan is 21 while just vacation days are 15. At ten years, the typical amount of consolidated leave is 24, whereas the average for paid vacation is 19.
Employers in Illinois offer paid vacation 88% of the time. This varies depending on industry and company size. To see how your business compares to similar Illinois companies, download a free benchmarking report.
Paid sick leave is available to 79% of Illinois businesses. If you provide a paid sick leave plan, it must describe who qualifies and when notifications are given. 50% of Illinois employers who offer paid sick leave allow employees to carry over their unused days into the next year. This can create difficulties, particularly if you have specific people that are always healthy.
It's critical to choose the correct paid time off plan for the holidays. The holidays provided can vary depending on your sector and competitive nature of your company. Is it necessary to offer Presidents' Day? Do you have to give Veterans Day? Should you? Only 34% of businesses provide their employees with six or fewer paid days off each year. More than half (55%) of organizations provide between 7 and 10 paid holidays, while 26 percent supply more than 10 paid days off per year.
Download your free Mployer Insights report to see how your firm's paid time off plan compares to others in IL in the same industry and size range as you. Understanding how your policy compares against other businesses in your area can be a valuable recruiting and retention tool.