Gilbert + Tobin’s chief people officer, Anna Sparkes, said that along with a change in vernacular around parental leave (which has replaced terms like maternity and paternity leave), workplaces are allowing flexibility around when and how employees use parental leave.
“In the past, it was quite restrictive,” Ms Sparkes told Lawyers Weekly ahead of theWomen in Law Forum 2023.
“You had to take it as soon as the baby was born and use it in one chunk. Now, I think there’s more flexibility. You can take it within two years of the birth, you can take it in chunks, or you can go part-time and phase in your return to work when you’re ready.”
Gilbert + Tobin has also implemented the government’s keeping-in-touch days, where an employee performs work for the employer on a day or a part of the day while on a period of approved parental leave.
An employee on unpaid parental leave is entitled to 10 keeping-in-touch days. If they extend their period of unpaid parental leave beyond 12 months, they can take an additional 10 days.
Keeping-in-touch days can occur at least 42 days after the date of birth or adoption of the child or earlier if the employee requests it.
“We’re not trying to push people back to work before their parental leave is used up,” Ms Sparkes assured.
“But it’s interesting because a lot of people do like to use those days to stay connected.
“Moreover, our IT policies have become more flexible now, which allow people to keep their laptops and log in if they want to,...
Two Canada-based steel companies, Farjess Inc. and Royal Canadian Steel Inc., along with their part-owner and president, Feroz Jessani, have agreed to pay $19 million to resolve allegations that t...