For The First Time, City Of Fort Worth Prepares To Implement Parental Leave Policy

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) — The City of Fort Worth is implementing a new parental leave policy, available to all employees, effective October 1.

The move comes after a 10-month listening process that included surveying employees and researching comparative human resources policies.

Until Wednesday's announcement, the City of Fort Worth had no parental leave policy, including no formal maternity leave policy. Each year there are some 100 births among employees and employee spouses who are a part of the city insurance plan.

"In order to have strong businesses, we need healthy employees and healthy families," Mayor Betsy Price said. "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."

The parental leave policy offers six weeks of paid leave for maternity or paternity leave and can also be applied to adoptions or "placements" of children in homes. The policy is paid in full and not based on tenure of the employee.