Germany is extending maternity protection for women to include those who have suffered a miscarriage after they’ve entered the 13th week of pregnancy, according to a report by Deutsche Welle. Germany’s lower house of parliament passed the law last week, with a majority of lawmakers voting in favour of the bill. If passed in the […]
The U.S. Defense Department will no longer reimburse service members for travel out of state to get reproductive health care, including abortions and fertility treatments, according to a new memo. The directive eliminates a rarely used Biden administration policy enacted in October 2022, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and more states began […]
An article on the issues that Canadian pension plan sponsors are considering in 2025 was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the last week: 1. Expert panel: Regulatory guidelines, geopolitical risk impacting pension plan sponsors in 2025 2. Lawsuit alleges feds prevented […]
With all the focus on women’s health in the workplace in the past year, employers should be providing more support for pregnant employees by improving their financial security, having open discussions around symptoms and offering more flexibility. As a soon-to-be first-time mom — who was unsure how she felt about becoming pregnant at first — my […]
Seven in 10 (70 per cent) employees say they’re dissatisfied with their employer’s current benefits plan, according to a new survey by Robert Walters Canada. The survey, which polled more than 500 employees, found more than a quarter (27 per cent) agreed the benefits their employer offers are mostly trivial and do more to attract employees […]
As I write this, I’ve been back at my desk for three weeks following my second maternity leave. This time around, I took nearly eight months, which gave me a lot of time to think about Canada’s archaic employment insurance system and its impact on new parents. For many working parents in Canada, eight months […]
When Jennifer Young, a global human resources business solutions consultant at Manulife Financial Corp., found out she was expecting her first child in 2021, she thought the coronavirus pandemic would pose the biggest challenge to a healthy pregnancy. But, like many parents, her journey into motherhood ended up requiring a circle of care dependent on […]
Despite the prevalence of pregnancy loss, many employers still don’t have a plan in place that adequately supports employees experiencing this type of loss, says Michelle La Fontaine, a program manager at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre’s Pregnancy and Infant Loss Network. “We’ve heard a variety of experiences from families who have experienced pregnancy and infant […]
To help working mothers with the sometimes overwhelming task of maintaining a work-life balance, employers can invest in inclusive, flexible policies and provide support when parents return to work, says Christine Tatham, chief people officer at Redbrick. Early in Tatham’s career and after having her first baby, a former boss asked her if she wanted […]
Nearly half of Canadian women employees say they’re dissatisfied with their organizations’ support during maternity leave, according to a survey by Maturn. The survey, which polled more than 1,000 women, found two-fifths (39 per cent) didn’t receive a top up. Among the 59 per cent who said they received some form of paid leave, the benefits […]