When life’s most important moments happen, the state of Minnesota now has accessible solutions for small businesses. On January 6, 2026, Governor Walz hosted a press conference at SHAKE at the Coliseum Event Center to share an overview of the Minnesota Paid Leave Act (PFML) which became law at the beginning of the year. The PFML provides nearly all Minnesota workers including full time, part time, temporary and most seasonal workers up to 20 weeks of partially paid leave (12 weeks medical, 12 weeks family) for qualifying needs like serious illness, caregiving, or parental bonding, with wage replacement from 55-90% and job protection regardless of business industry or size.

Janice Downing, Co-Owner of SHAKE at the Coliseum and CommonSense Consulting at Work knows the benefit that this will bring to her staff allowing them time off to care for family if needed while ensuring that their employment is not in jeopardy. As a small human resources firm, this allows her to compete more competitively in retaining current and attracting future employees as compared to larger firms.