Faculty Frequently Asked Questions - Pregnancy/Parental Leave

Birth mothers must begin their maternity leave no later than the expected delivery date of the baby or actual birth date of the baby, whichever is earliest. Your leave may begin as early as 17 weeks before your expected delivery date. Parental leave must immediately follow maternity leave for birth mothers.

Other parents must begin their leave no later than 52 weeks after the day the child is born or comes into the employee’s custody, care and control for the first time.

Complete the Pregnancy/Parental Leave Request form (PDF), ensuring the required approval signatures are obtained. For birth mothers, a signed doctor’s/midwife’s note with the expected delivery date must be attached. Submit completed paperwork to Human Resources (HR), East Campus One (EC1) 1003, or email the documentation to hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca. These documents should be submitted to HR ideally one month prior to the start of your leave, but at a minimum at least two weeks prior to the start of your leave.

An employee on pregnancy or parental leave may return to work earlier than planned by providing written notice to their manager at least four weeks prior to the new return date.

A birth mother who wishes to return to work earlier than six weeks following the birth of her child must have the written approval of her physician.

To alter your leave dates please complete a revised Pregnancy/Parental Leave Request form (PDF) and submit to Human Resources (HR), East Campus One (EC1) 1003 or email to hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca.

An employee on pregnancy or parental leave may extend their leave dates to the maximum time permitted under the Employment Standards Act by providing written notice to their manager at least four weeks prior to the new return date.

To alter your leave date up to the maximum time permitted under the Employment Standards Act (ESA), please complete a revised Pregnancy/Parental Leave Request form (PDF) and submit to Human Resources (HR), East Campus One (EC1) 1003 or email to hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca.

If you would like to take additional unpaid leave time after you have reached the maximum leave permitted under the ESA, this must be discussed and approved by your manager at least four weeks prior to the initial return to work date. For staff, please refer to Policy 39 and complete a Staff Leave of Absence Request form (PDF). For faculty, please refer to Policy 3 and complete a Sabbatical Application or Request for Leave of Absence (DOC). Submit completed paperwork to Human Resources (HR), East Campus One (EC1) 1003, or email to hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca.

Apply for EI as soon as you’ve stopped working. You can do this on-line or in person at your nearest Service Canada location. EI will require a Record of Employment (ROE) in order to process your claim. This will be issued electronically directly to Service Canada by payroll.

For birth mothers eligible for the six weeks of birth leave benefits, your ROE will be issued within 7 business days following payment of this benefit. Service Canada considers this insurable earnings and will not begin your EI benefits until after payment of this benefit has completed. For all others, your ROE will be issued within 7 business days following payment of your last pay. You do not have to wait to receive your ROE before starting your application for Employment Insurance benefits, however Service Canada will not process your claim and begin your benefits until your ROE is received.

Your EI benefits will then be assessed by Service Canada based on your individual situation. The maximum coverage provided is 52 weeks.

Working while receiving EI benefits may have an impact on the payments you’re eligible to receive. Information about working while receiving EI benefits can be accessed through the Service Canada website.

For birth mothers, Human Resources will assess your eligibility for the birth leave benefit and pay it automatically.

The top-up benefit will be processed when you provide proof of your EI benefits. Acceptable proof is a screen shot or printout of your Service Canada account (see sample below) showing your assessed weekly EI benefits. Submit paperwork to Human Resources (HR), East Campus One (EC1) 1003 or via e-mail to hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca. A completed Pregnancy/Parental Leave Request form (PDF) must already have been submitted to HR.

The University provides 10 paid days off around the time of your child’s birth or adoption for employees who are not taking pregnancy or parental leave. Arrangements for these leaves are handled through discussion with your manager.

Yes. Any earnings from the University for work performed while on leave will reduce your top-up benefits accordingly.

Employees are required to return to work for the University for the equivalent of six months full-time following their leave in order to keep their supplementary top-up benefit. If you voluntarily leave your employment with the University during the six month period following your leave you will be required to repay the top-up benefit. Birth leave benefits paid to birth mothers are not repayable.

If you do not intend to return to work after your leave please contact Human Resources at hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca or extension 35935 for guidance.

Pregnancy and parental leaves reduce the time available to prepare for tenure consideration. Therefore, the probationary period and the time to tenure decision will be extended by one year on request to the dean. The maximum extension is one year for each such leave during the probationary period.

Sabbatical leave credit, including credit for teaching terms, will be earned during each pregnancy, adoption or parental leave. If such a leave begins during a sabbatical leave, the missed portion of the sabbatical will be rescheduled within the next three years in consultation with the department chair and dean. It will not overlap with a regularly scheduled non-teaching term.

A faculty member returning from pregnancy, adoption, or parental leave should be required to teach in no more than two of the ensuing three terms (see Policy 77). Teaching duties will be reduced in proportion to the length of each pregnancy, adoption or parental leave.

For instance, a six month leave would imply a reduction in teaching duties equivalent to 50% of the faculty member’s annual teaching load. The actual sequence of teaching and research terms will depend on individual circumstances, and will be determined in consultation with the chair and dean.
During these discussions, the overall impact of the leave and reduced teaching load on total research time and sabbatical duty cycles should be addressed.

Questions and support regarding teaching relief may be directed to the Faculty Association by email to fauw@uwaterloo.ca, by phone to extension 33787, or in person at Math and computing (MC) 4002.