Maternity Leave
The Basics
We offer a maternity leave of absence so you can take time off from work after the birth of your child.
What It Does
Maternity leave provides eligible Mountaineers with six to eight weeks of income replacement following the birth of your child, known as the recovery period, which is paid through your Short-Term Disability (STD) benefit.
Who's Eligible
Full-time Mountaineers who are scheduled to work 20 or more hours per week.
Provincial Benefits
Most provinces offer additional pregnancy leave. Eligibility requirements and applicable time periods vary depending on the type of leave. To request a provincial leave, please submit a request in writing to your manager. Approved requests will generate a Record of Employment (ROE). Once the ROE is received, you can contact Employment Insurance directly to receive government Employment Insurance benefits.
When It Begins
When you’re absent from work following the birth of your child. If you’re unable to continue working during your pregnancy or if you need to request an accommodation before you deliver, you have options:
You may be eligible for Short-Term Disability (STD) benefits. If your STD claim is approved, Desjardins Insurance will make the STD payments to you directly and you will be billed by Iron Mountain for any benefits you were enrolled in prior to your leave.
If you require an accommodation to continue working until your delivery, speak to your manager who will work with the HR Team to determine your needs.
After the birth of your child, Desjardins Insurance will pay the six to eight weeks for recovery under the same STD claim.
How Long It Lasts
Your STD benefit covers the first part of your maternity benefit, up to eight weeks of paid leave. Any additional leave will be covered under the provincial leave program.
How Does Paid Time Off Work on Leave?
You don’t continue to accrue vacation or sick time while on maternity leave. When you return to work, you begin accruing these benefits again, as though the period of leave counted as active service.
What It Pays
Your Short-Term Disability (STD) benefit provides income replacement as recovery time following the birth of your child. In general, you’ll receive 66.67% up to a weekly maximum of $3,000 per week for up to six to eight weeks.
Your Health and Insurance Benefits
While on maternity leave, the costs you’ve been paying per paycheck for health, dental, life and disability coverage will be billed directly to you while you are on leave. When you return to work, the benefit will be reconciled to confirm there were no over or underpayments.
Having a baby is considered a qualifying life event. This means you can add your child to your benefits coverage within 30 days of the event. If you miss the 30-day deadline, you’ll have to wait until the next Open Enrollment period or another qualifying event to make changes.
How To Request Leave
Meet with your manager to talk about your upcoming leave.
Contact Global HR Service Support at 855.462.7547 to file your claim no earlier than 30 days before your expected delivery date but no later than 15 days after the birth of your child.
Contacts
Global HR Service Support
Administration and general information
Desjardins Insurance
Disability and Life Insurance