Here is ours:

Maternity, Paternity & Adoption

Maternity Leave
Learning Pool provides 3 months paid Maternity Leave, paid at full pay and an additional 1 months leave at half pay. When you know you are pregnant, you should tell your manager as soon as possible, so that plans may be put into place for coverage during your Maternity Leave. Your position will be held without change during this time. If further time is requested, this will be taken as unpaid leave and the position cannot be guaranteed, unless there has been prior approval by the CEO. For information on the US Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
 

Working During Pregnancy
You can continue working during pregnancy for as long as you can perform your duties adequately. However, if you are absent from work, wholly or partly because of a pregnancy-related illness, in the 4 weeks prior to your due date, maternity leave will automatically commence.

Time Off for Pre-Natal Care
If you or your partner is pregnant, you may take reasonable time off with pay to attend prenatal appointments, irrespective of your length of service.

After your first appointment you may be asked to produce an appointment card to verify subsequent sessions and confirm your pregnancy. Please inform your manager as far in advance as possible that you will be attending a prenatal appointment.

Benefits During Maternity Leave
During the period maternity leave, all employee benefits are maintained. The period of maternity leave is treated as continuous service.

Protection from Exposure to Risks
To ensure that pregnant and breast-feeding employees have a healthy and safe working environment, a risk assessment will be carried out on your workstation and any necessary adjustments will be actioned. You should notify your manager of your pregnancy as soon as possible to ensure that this risk assessment takes place in good time.

If you are not capable of carrying out the full range of your duties because you are pregnant or breast-feeding, or if a potential health risk has been identified, your working conditions and/or working hours will be adjusted accordingly.

Holiday Entitlement
Your holiday entitlement continues to accrue during your maternity leave. However, we do not pay you for this or for any untaken holidays that you have accrued before the start of your maternity leave. You will therefore need to make sure that you take all holiday entitlement that you have already accrued before the start of your maternity leave.

You will also need to decide what you want to do with holidays that will accrue during maternity leave. You will be able to either:

•             Take some or all of this entitlement before you go on leave.

•             Or ‘bank’ some or all of this entitlement and take it when you return.

(If you choose not to return to work, we will pay you for any outstanding accrued leave at the end of your maternity leave/ employment.)

You will need to consider this as early as possible and discuss your plans with your manager.

Pension
During the whole period of your maternity leave both the employer and employee contributions will be made by the company in accordance with the minimum rates set out in your policy. Should your leave include unpaid periods, no pension contributions can be made as there is no payment to deduct contributions from.

Keeping in Touch Days
If you or your partner is pregnant, you may take reasonable time off with pay to attend prenatal appointments, irrespective of your length of service.

After your first appointment you may be asked to produce an appointment card to verify subsequent sessions and confirm your pregnancy. Please inform your manager as far in advance as possible that you will be attending a prenatal appointment.

Returning to Work After Maternity Leave
As you are entitled to return to work up to 16 weeks after you started your Maternity Leave, Learning Pool will expect you to return on this date, unless you tell us differently.

You will return to either the same job you were undertaking before you went away, or a suitable alternative, on terms and conditions that are no less favorable than those that would have applied if you had not been absent. This is conditional on you returning on the same hours that you worked before your maternity leave.

If you wish to change your hours, you will need to agree to this with your manager as soon as possible. There is no guarantee that a change of hours will be able to be accommodated, so you should make your request as early as possible.

We will also ask you to confirm your baby’s date of birth and you must reply within 14 days.

If you want to return earlier than 16 weeks or if you want to return on a different date than indicated previously, then you must write to Learning Pool giving at least 8 weeks’ notice of the date you wish to return.

Towards the end of your specified maternity leave we write to you asking you to confirm the date you wish to return. You must reply within 14 days of receipt of this letter and, if you wish to return sooner, you must give 8 weeks’ notice of this date.

You may also delay your return by up to 4 weeks where there is medical evidence of a pregnancy-related illness.

If you no longer wish to return to work at Learning Pool, you must notify your manager giving the required period of notice set out in your contract of employment.

Return to Work Bonus
At the end of maternity leave, when the new parent returns to work you will receive a bonus payment of $500 and a further $500 which will be paid 6 months after your return. There will be a pro rata payment for part-time employees.

Protection from Dismissal
As a pregnant employee, you are protected from dismissal, regardless of your length of service and the hours you work:

•        Because you are pregnant or for any other reason connected with your pregnancy due to you giving birth or for any other reason connected with giving birth

•        Because you take advantage of your right to maternity leave

•        Because you cannot carry out your existing work for health and safety reasons

•        Because you have failed to give advance notice of a return to work which is at an earlier date than the end of ordinary maternity leave or additional maternity leave periods

Paternity Policy
Following the birth of a child, male employees (fathers only) will be eligible to take paid leave to care for the child or support the mother if you meet all the following conditions:

•        You have or expect to have responsibility for the child's upbringing.

•        You are the biological father of the child or the mother's husband or partner.

•        You have been continuously employed for 26 weeks leading into the fifteenth week before the actual date of confinement.

•        You are still employed on the actual date of confinement

Length of Paternity Leave
You are entitled to choose to take one week or two consecutive weeks of paternity leave - odd days are not acceptable.

You are entitled to start your paternity leave on any day of the week following the child’s birth, but this leave must be completed:

•        Within 56 days of the actual date of birth or;

•        If the child is born early, within the period from the actual date of birth up to 56 days after the expected week of confinement

You will only be entitled to one period of leave irrespective of whether more than one child is born as a result of the same pregnancy.

While on Paternity Leave all contractual benefits will be maintained as if you were not absent.

Paternity Pay
You are entitled to up to two consecutive weeks of paternity leave at full pay. In addition to the 2 weeks off on full pay currently provided under the Paternity Leave policy, when the new parent comes back from leave, they will work reduced hours for the following 4 weeks. For people who work 5 days per week, this will mean that you will work 4 days per week for the 4 weeks after your paternity leave, but you will receive full pay. If you work part-time hours currently, this will be applied on a pro rata basis.

Notice of Paternity Leave
Should you wish to take paternity leave you must inform Learning Pool of:

•        Your intention to take paternity leave by the 15th week before the Expected Date of Confinement the week the baby is due

•        Whether you wish to take 1- or 2-weeks’ leave

•        When you want your leave to start

Should you wish to change the date on which you want your paternity leave to start you must inform Learning Pool at least 28 days in advance unless this is not reasonably practicable.

Adoption Leave

You qualify for 16 weeks leave when you adopt a child in the US if you:

•        Have been matched with a child to be placed with you by a US adoption agency OR received official notification from the relevant US authority of your eligibility to adopt a child from abroad

•        Have notified the agency that you agree that the child should be placed with you and agree with the date of placement

•        Notify us of when you want to take your Adoption Leave no more than 7 days after you are notified that you have been matched with a child

•        Are the child’s adoptive parent. This is the person who will adopt or has adopted the child or, in a case where the child will be or has been adopted by two people jointly, whichever of the joint adoptive parents has chosen to take adoption leave in respect of the child

Adoption Pay

To qualify for Adoption Pay, you must:

•        Have been continuously employed by Learning Pool for at least 26 weeks up to any day in the week you were matched with a child

•        Give the correct notice

•        Give proof of the adoption or surrogacy

Employees will not qualify for either adoption leave or pay if they:

•        Become a special guardian or kinship caregiver.

•        Adopt a family member or stepchild.

•        Adopt privately, for example without permission from a US authority or adoption agency

If you meet the qualifying conditions for Adoption Leave, the company will pay Adoption Pay.

You will receive:

•        Full pay for the first 12 weeks of your adoption leave

•        Half pay for the following 4 weeks of your adoption leave (from week 12 to week 16)

The payments will be made through normal payroll arrangements with Income Tax and benefits deducted as appropriate.
 

Fertility Policy

For staff members undergoing Fertility Treatment - this policy is inclusive and supportive to all employees, irrespective of their gender and sexual orientation.

Fertility Treatment includes any form of assisted reproduction, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), egg collection or embryo transfer. Employees should feel safe discussing their fertility treatment and medical appointments related to the treatment, with their managers or members of the HR Team.  If support is needed, measures can be put into place to assist the employee with their workload. Employees are entitled to reasonable accommodations during the process.

Recording Absence

Employees going through Fertility Treatment will need to attend medical appointments.  To schedule sick leave for these appointments, contact your manager and/or HR to book the time off in BambooHR.  We understand that going through this process may be more complicated than regular sick leave.  Managers and/or HR will work with employees to schedule flexible hours if all sick leave has been used.

Communication

The fertility journey can be very stressful, for the person going through the treatment and for their partner as well.  Keeping the lines of communication open is critical for all involved. This will allow managers to be flexible with work arrangements.

Confidentiality

The manager and HR Team will keep information regarding the employee’s Fertility Treatment completely confidential.  The employee may choose to share the information but should feel confident that it is their information to tell.

Hello Steve + Anonymous,

Attached is our Parental Leave policy. Hope it helps in your journey to offer the benefit. 

Karen