March 31, 2021
Paid family and medical leave policies have the potential to promote health and wellbeing, reduce infant mortality, help family economic stability, improve worker productivity and morale and, research shows, can even lead to longer life. But not if people don’t use it. And in the handful of states that have passed such policies, the data shows that many who are eligible and who need it, aren’t using paid leave.
Understanding why – and what to do about it – is what the Better Life Lab and New Practice Lab at New America set out to find in a unique, four-week discovery sprint in 2019, in partnership with the state of New Jersey. One of the key learnings that emerged is also a key part of the answer: you need to think like the user does. And the best way to do that is to ask them.