The common argument by employers against instituting a more robust paid family leave policy is its prohibitive cost. That certainly was the thinking at Bora Architects, along with fears that employees would misuse the policy.
That mindset quickly changed in 2015 for the Portland, Oregon, firm when a valued receptionist announced she was going to become a single mother. The pending birth and the possibility of losing a quality employee set off alarm bells for Amy Donohue, a principal with the firm, and Dawn Ridenour, the chief financial officer, launching them into a cost-benefit analysis. They had 65 employees at the time.
