January 27, 2026

The 2026 Employer Leave Strategy and Structure Survey covers priority topics in leave and time away, including global strategies, leave structures, paid leave types and holidays, employer perspectives on paid leave laws and policies, as well as the future of leave programs.

Fielded in October and November 2025, the survey was completed by 122 employers representing over 13 million employees. The companies that completed the survey are diverse from an industry and workforce size perspective, as detailed in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1: Respondent Profile, 2026

Citations

Before referring to or using this survey report in any way, you must receive permission from Business Group on Health. Please contact [email protected].

Suggested citations for this survey report:

Business Group on Health. 2026 Employer Leave Strategy and Structure Survey. January 2026. Available at: https://www.businessgrouphealth.org/2026-employer-leave-strategy-and-structure-survey.

	Complying with and navigating state and local paid leave laws: 92% are currently experiencing (or anticipating) the impact of paid leave laws on the ability to offer a consistent set of leaves in the U.S.
	Ensuring a positive employee experience with leave process: 78% agree that a positive employee experience is harder to achieve due to the numerous complex and compliance-related tasks.
	Lack of resources needed to administer leave: 60% of employers say that more urgent priorities – like health care costs and increasing chronic conditions – are currently driving, or will potentially drive, resources away from leave/time away.

More Topics

Resource Leave & Flexible Work Arrangements Family and Caregiving Culture and Strategy