October 27, 2025
Why a Good Leave Experience Keeps Employees Loyal
It turns out that what happens when employees step away from work may shape how long they decide to stay. A new report from Guardian Life Insurance Company of America suggests that a positive employee leave experience is closely related to loyalty, and even small moments of support during time off can have long-term effects.
According to The Employee Leave Experience report, employees who describe their time away as positive are 75% more likely to remain in their jobs for five years or more. They’re also twice as likely to say their employer genuinely cares about their well-being. That’s a powerful connection between empathy and retention, something that’s easy to overlook in the era of policy fine print and digital HR forms.
Jessica Vanscavish, Head of Disability, Absence, Life, and Supplemental Health at Guardian, said: “When processes are streamlined, communications are clear, and there is a single point of contact for questions, employees are more likely to feel supported before, during, and after a leave, directly translating into improved morale and loyalty.”
Mixed Priorities
The report covers nearly every kind of leave: vacation, sick time, maternity, bereavement, and long-term disability. Regardless of the reason, what employees seem to value most is how they’re treated, not how many days they get. The tone of communication, the ease of filing a request, the support from a direct manager—all of it adds up to how “cared for” someone feels when they’re away.
However, employers have mixed priorities. Their main goal in managing leave is helping employees stay connected to work (40%) if they can. Thirty-six percent focus on compliance, a third emphasise building a culture of empathy, and about 29% prioritise helping people return to meaningful work. Yet, the best policies are the ones that feel human.
Mental health is now one of the biggest factors influencing absence trends. Over 80% of employers say it contributes to absences, and half report rising mental health claims. Among employees who took leave, nearly 40% used counselling services, while 35% had physical therapy, an evidence that recovery often spans both body and mind.
Manager support remains key in good leave experiences Fifty-six percent of employees said their manager’s attitude made their leave better. Employers are also looking to simplify the process, with 30% saying the ability to make a single request for all leave types would make things easier.
Technology is slowly stepping in to make the process more streamlined. Roughly 60% of companies are exploring ways to use AI for managing disability or family leave. More than half are merging benefits programmes to make access simpler and reduce HR workload.
While most employers rate their leave programmes highly, the real measure is whether people come back feeling respected and ready to work.
