Paid time off, or leave, across vacation days, sick days, and holidays is an essential element of an employer's benefit package for businesses in Maryland from Baltimore to Salisbury and Hagerstown. Different rules apply depending on the size of the business and can vary by state. The design of the proper plan for your distinct employee group might have an impact on staff retention.
The first thing to consider is whether you want to offer a consolidated leave plan or not. A consolidated leave scheme offers one amount of vacation time for employees to enjoy. Workers who don't have combined leave plans typically maintain separate personal and illness leave policies. Consolidated leave plans have been on the rise in recent years, with 44% of firms in Maryland offering them.
A consolidated leave plan, often known as a paid time off (PTO) plan, combines sick and personal days into one. This provides employees more choice and the employer more control. In Maryland companies with five years of service, at 10 years the average number of leave days in a consolidated plan is 21, whereas after five years there are only 14 vacation days. The average for consolidated leave plans is 24 after ten years of service, whereas the average number of paid vacation days is 17.
The overwhelming majority of employers offer paid vacation as a component of a collective leave program or as a stand-alone plan. Maryland businesses 89 percent of the time provide paid vacation in some form. This is mostly industry specific, such as an hourly employee at a shop against a technology firm. Download our Mployer Insights report to learn how your company compares to its peers.
Holidays are a required component of your leave package and will differ based on the size and industry of your employer, such as retail vs. a manufacturing firm. 33% of businesses only give six or fewer paid holidays to their employees. 55% provide between 7 and 10 days off, while 26 percent offer more than ten paid holidays. New Year's Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are among the core holidays that may be offered if desired by the employer. It is entirely at the discretion of the employer.
Download your free Mployer Insights report to see how your company's paid time off policy compares to others similar to you in Maryland in the same industry and size range. Understanding how your plan performs against employers like you may be a valuable recruitment and retention tool.