The effort was approved by the city manager and City Council after a 10-month listening process conducted by city management and human resources teams, who surveyed city employees and researched comparative human resources policies among municipalities across the country. Before now, the City of Fort Worth had no parental leave policy, including no formal maternity leave policy.
“This benefit will positively impact the hundreds of families that didn’t have these supports in place and help us stay on the forefront of attracting quality, competitive candidates to meet the critical demands of running a city,” City Manager David Cooke said.
The city’s Human Resources Department worked with PFM Consulting on the leave study, using data and information from an employee focus group on the current leave structure. After analyzing the leave data, performing a cost analysis and modeling the effects of the various leave policy options, PFM Consulting highlighted the recommendations that were sustainable for the city using a 10-year forecasting model.
“In order to have strong businesses, we need healthy employees and healthy families. It’s important that we modernize our HR policies to reflect the needs of working parents, because if they aren’t supported with benefits that recognize their commitment to work and their family – there will be other companies that will provide that critical support.”
Betsy Price, Mayor of Fort Worth