Parental and medical leave management has grown increasingly complex. HR leaders navigate overlapping federal, state and employer policies beyond the Family and Medical Leave Act, a 1993 law granting eligible workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave. One expert says many HR departments struggle with the rising administrative burden.

According to MetLife’s Missy Plohr-Memming, HR leaders often find themselves resource-strapped and, in many cases, lacking the infrastructure to streamline employee leave programs.

“Today, an employee taking parental or medical leave could qualify for up to five overlapping leave offers, including FMLA as well as state and employer-sponsored job protection or paid programs,” says Plohr-Memming, senior vice president of group benefits national accounts for the firm. Each of which comes with its own eligibility requirements, benefit calculations and administrative processes.

‘A patchwork of leave policies’

This resource crunch comes at precisely the wrong time, as the scope of leave management continues to expand, she says. Research from the National Partnership for Women & Families estimates that FMLA has been used more than 500 million times by workers needing time off to care for their own health or a family member’s. In 2024 alone, FMLA supported more than 15 million employees.

Additionally, 27% of workers nationwide have access to paid family leave through their employers, and 41% can take personal medical leave through employer-provided short-term disability insurance, the National Partnership reports.

For employers operating across multiple states, the challenge becomes exponentially more complex. As of 2025, 14 jurisdictions—13 states and the District of Columbia—offer paid family and medical leave programs, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. Other states have paid sick leave or related laws, but they do not provide comprehensive, mandatory paid family and medical leave programs.

State programs vary dramatically in their structure, with some being state-mandated, others voluntary and others state-run. “Any employer—most acutely those operating in more than one state—must track and tailor their leave strategies to match an overlapping, state-specific and constantly changing patchwork of leave policies,” Plohr-Memming says.

Employee leave management: ‘complex and sensitive’

Beyond the administrative complexity lies a fundamental truth about leave management: Employees are navigating major life events when they need these benefits most. Whether dealing with childbirth, serious illness or caring for a family member, Plohr-Memming says, workers are often stressed and vulnerable when they interact with leave systems.

“Managing parental and medical leave is as complex as it is sensitive,” Plohr-Memming says. “The human element is massively important.”

This reality places additional pressure on HR teams to not only get the compliance details right but to deliver a compassionate, supportive experience during employees’ most challenging moments, she says.

Creating that experience requires providing detailed, easy-to-understand instructions, tools and resources upfront. The goal, Plohr-Memming says, is getting employees comfortable and familiar with the process before they need it, reducing anxiety about navigating leave policies during already stressful times.

Tech for employee leave management

The solution to managing this complexity increasingly lies in digital transformation, according to Plohr-Memming. Manual processing has become a major bottleneck as programs expand and resources remain flat. As with other human resource tasks in modern times, automation can help streamline how employees access resources, receive updates, plan leave and submit claims, while handling much of the backend paperwork and compliance tracking.

“Digital tools are a prerequisite for any employer looking to efficiently and effectively manage leave,” Plohr-Memming says. The shift toward technology-enabled solutions reflects broader employee expectations for self-service options that put control in their hands.

“Instead of relying on HR intervention at each and every turn, employees are increasingly looking for self-managed options to gain clarity, plan their leave and submit claims,” she explains.

People over paperwork

A strong, tech-enabled HR strategy is essential for driving growth, retaining top talent and maintaining a competitive edge, according to Gartner research. Employees who report a positive experience are 54% more likely to stay with their organization and nearly 55% more likely to be high performers.

Well-designed digital tools can also reduce administrative burden while improving employee engagement. Recent data from digital leave platforms shows meaningful improvements in user adoption, with some organizations reporting substantial benefits when employees can navigate the process independently. MetLife’s leave tool, for example, cut follow-up calls by 40% and boosted digital claim submissions 14-fold, Plohr-Memming says.

Looking ahead, she expects that state policies will continue to expand and change, requiring ongoing adjustments to leave programs. At the same time, employee expectations will rise in line with digital experiences in other areas of their lives, pushing HR teams to provide more sophisticated tools and clearer guidance.

Perhaps most importantly, “HR leaders will need to accomplish this with fewer resources and more technology, focusing on the person instead of the paperwork,” Plohr-Memming concludes.

How can HR leaders improve employee leave management?

Based on Plohr-Memming’s insights, here are the key strategies for managing leave:

• Automate leave processes to reduce manual work and free up HR resources.
• Use digital tools to guide employees through pre-leave planning, claim submission and return-to-work steps.
• Tailor leave programs to comply with evolving and state-specific policies.
• Offer clear, easy-to-use resources that help employees understand and navigate their leave options.
• Enable self-service options so employees can manage leave on their own time.
• Prepare for continued policy changes and rising employee expectations with scalable, tech-enabled solutions.