Massachusetts Employer Leave Resource Center
Practical guidance for Massachusetts employers navigating employee leave. Whether you're handling your first leave request or looking for a specific PFML requirement, these guides explain what comes next in plain English.
An employee told me she's pregnant. What should I do next?
A calm, practical first-response guide for Massachusetts employers when an employee shares she's pregnant.
Your first employee taking leave in Massachusetts
Facing your first employee leave in Massachusetts? Here's what leave really is, who pays for it, and the short list of things you actually have to do.
The first 30 days after an employee requests leave
A calm, week-by-week action plan for the first month after any leave request lands on your desk in Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts PFML employer checklist
A do-it-today checklist for Massachusetts employers: the PFML duties to set up once, and the short list of tasks for when a leave happens.
Small business maternity leave requirements in Massachusetts
Exactly what a small Massachusetts employer owes an employee on maternity leave, with every size threshold spelled out in plain English.
Massachusetts PFML employer responsibilities
The plain-English master overview of every PFML duty a Massachusetts employer owes, from quarterly contributions and notices to protecting a job during leave.
Massachusetts PFML employer deadlines
Every PFML deadline a Massachusetts employer must hit, sorted into recurring calendar filings and event-triggered clocks.
The Massachusetts PFML timeline for employers
One employee's PFML leave from your side of the desk, start to finish, with the one deadline you cannot afford to miss.
The Massachusetts leave compliance checklist
A whole-business audit of every Massachusetts leave law, showing which ones apply at your head count and exactly what to do for each.
PFML vs. FMLA for Massachusetts employers
A plain side-by-side of Massachusetts PFML and federal FMLA, showing which applies to you, how they run concurrently, and what you actually do for each.
You got a Massachusetts DFML notice. Now what?
An employee applied for PFML and the state wants you to respond. Decode the notice, the 10-business-day clock, and what to do.
How payroll works during Massachusetts PFML
The state pays the leave, not you. Here's the short payroll to-do list: premium collection, PTO top-up, contributions, and tax forms.
What documents should employers keep during leave?
Exactly what to document and retain during an employee's leave, what to keep confidential and separate, and why you should not be collecting private medical details.
Can I contact an employee while they're on leave?
A clear line between the check-ins that are fine and the contact that creates legal risk, plus the plan that makes it easy.
Questions every employer should ask before approving leave
The right questions to work through when a leave request arrives, the ones you must never ask, and why the state, not you, approves a PFML claim.
Hiring temporary coverage during maternity leave
How to cover an employee's work during maternity leave without jeopardizing her job-protected right to return to the same or an equivalent role.
Preparing for an employee's return from leave
How to bring a returning employee back well: the reinstatement rule, a warm re-onboarding, lactation setup, and the six-month retaliation trap to avoid.
Common Massachusetts PFML mistakes employers make
The PFML missteps small Massachusetts employers make most often, each paired with the exact fix.
Leave administration for companies without HR
A simple, repeatable system a small Massachusetts business can use to run employee leave competently with no HR department.
Do I qualify for FMLA as an employer?
A two-part self-test to decide whether federal FMLA applies to your business, and what to do next either way.
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