City Manager Sheryl M. M. Long has announced an updated, more generous parental leave policy for City of Cincinnati employees.

The new policy applies to all non-seasonal, full-time employees of the City of Cincinnati. It:

• Extends parental leave to 12 weeks paid at 100% of the employee’s salary (up from 6 weeks, 2 of which were a “waiting period” during which the employee could use accrued time or remain unpaid, followed by 4 weeks paid at 70%).
• Broadens eligibility to employees who seek parental leave for the birth, adoption, fostering, or legal guardianship of a child (previously only birth and adoptive parents were eligible).
• Adds 20 hours of paid prenatal/pre-adoption leave that can be used for appointments prior to the birth or adoption of a child (no such leave was available under the previous policy).
• Allows employees taking parental leave to receive regular holiday pay while on leave (under the previous policy, employees on parental leave did not receive holiday pay in all circumstances).

“This new policy affirms that the City of Cincinnati wants our employees to be able to care for their families and prioritize a healthy work-life balance. We want to be competitive on the job market and an attractive place to work for people seeking a long-term, fulfilling career. Updating our family leave policy will help with that,” said Long.

“This comprehensive new policy is exactly what doing right by employees looks like,” said Mayor Aftab Pureval. “As we compete to attract the best and the brightest to serve our City, strong parental leave and a commitment to supporting workers is a must. City Manager Long has stepped up from day one to have the backs of City employees, and this action is another important step in that work.”

Drafting the new policy was one of Long’s first priorities when she was appointed City Manager in September 2022. She worked closely with Kelly Carr, Deputy Director of Human Resources, to craft the revisions.

The new policy became effective on January 1, 2023. The previous policy was originally instated in 2016.