Aflac Inc. has been selected to serve as the administrator of Connecticut’s new paid leave program, a move expected to bring around 150 jobs to the Greater Hartford area when the Georgia-based insurer opens a new office in Windsor.
State officials said the company was chosen through a competitive bidding process and cited Aflac’s “strong reputation” and commitment to expanding its presence in Connecticut. It was not immediately clear how much Aflac will be paid to run the paid leave program, which is still in the process of launching.
In a statement, Department of Administrative Services Commissioner Josh Geballe, who also serves as chairman of the Paid Family Leave Authority’s board of directors, said Connecticut’s partnership with Aflac will “provide the highest quality service to residents” while “keeping administrative costs as low as possible.”
It was not clear where within Windsor Aflac will seek to situate its operations, or if a site has already been chosen. The community, which has a considerable amount of unused farmland, has been at the center of a regional boom in warehouse construction over the past few years, a trend that is only gathering steam during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the popularity and relative safety of e-commerce.
The state’s expanded paid leave program — which will provide for up to 12 weeks of paid family or sick leave per year — is funded through a mandatory payroll deduction of half of 1% from employee paychecks.
The benefits will become available to qualified workers in Connecticut on Jan. 1, 2022.