At first glance the new rules around a Maternity Leave might seem like the government has provided a very generous offer. The Maternity Leave can be extended to 18 months, however the Government is providing the same amount of money. This means if the parent so chooses to take the extended leave, instead of the parent receiving 55% of their earnings to the$543 maximum per week they would receive 33%.
The government’s proposed new employment insurance Caregiving benefit of up to 15 weeks, which would be in addition to the current Compassionate Care benefit and the program for families with severely ill children, will cover a broader range of situations where individuals are providing care to an adult family member who requires significant support in order to recover from a critical illness or injury.
Benefits Canada put together a brief article on some of the Budget changes. How can these budget changes affect you and your business? Does the Employee Benefit Programs continue during the 18 month Maternity leave, or the Caregiving and/or Compassionate Care leaves? If so, what are the responsibilities of the employer and the employee? What if you are topping up the Parent’s income, do you take the same amount of money and extend it over the 18 months? Are you topping up as well for the Caregiving and Compassionate Care?
Contact Glendinning Insurance Services to ensure you have the correct policies in place prior to one of the leaves being requested.