Canadian HR Reporter

26 www.hrreporter.com F E A T U R E S THERE are some things that are just hard to talk about, especially at work. As human beings, however, people do not have the option of simply leaving their non-work lives at the door when the workday begins. This is espe- cially true now, when for many of us, the commute to the office is a four-metre walk across the room. When people experience personal trauma and loss, such as a miscarriage or stillbirth, they can't compartmen- talize it and go about business as usual. I have been fortunate; I have two sons and feel very lucky to have been working at organizations during my pregnan- cies where I knew I would have had the support to take miscarriage leave, had I needed it. But for many people, this has not been the case. When they experienced such a loss, they didn't always feel comfort- able sharing it with their employer, and Shortly thereafter, Xero — which has its headquarters in Wellington, N.Z. — decided to broaden its definition of bereavement leave to include instances where someone has suffered the end of a pregnancy as a result of miscarriage or stillbirth. This was something that the company had generally been doing already, but — inspired by the country's new legislation — decided to formally enshrine as part of its updated parental and general leave policies. A Canadian response Here in Canada, federal policy states that if a woman's pregnancy ends before week 20, she could receive sickness benefits, and that if her pregnancy ends in week 20 or later, she could receive maternity benefits. The amount of unpaid leave offered to those who suffer pregnancy loss due to miscarriage or stillbirth varies by province. For example, in Ontario, an employee who has a miscarriage or stillbirth COMMON SOURCES OF SUPPORT AFTER MISCARRIAGE days of paid leave to grieve after experiencing a miscarriage or stillbirth. For Ginny Andersen, the Labour Party MP who initiated the bill, it was an opportunity for the government to step in and address a real need that some employers in the countr y were leaving unmet. "We are fortunate enough to have many decent employers in this country who are already allowing bereavement leave to be taken in the event of miscar- riage or stillbirth," Andersen told New Zealand's parliament. "But there are some who are not. There are some who are making employees use up their sick leave at a time when they are dealing with extreme loss. That is callous and that is wrong. The grief that comes with miscarriage is not a sickness. It is a loss, and that loss takes time — time to recover physically and time to recover mentally." 82% Partners 63% Parents 35% Employers 26% Online support 69% Friends 44% Family members 28% Co-workers 25% Other bereaved parents WHY BEREAVEMENT LEAVE MAKES SENSE Facing a pregnancy loss while trying to keep it hidden can compound the already acute mental and emotional toll, says Faye Pang at Xero, which now offers paid bereavement leave to Canadian employees after a miscarriage or stillbirth many were even worried that taking time off after a miscarriage would not have been acceptable to their workplace culture. Instead, they suffered in silence, privately grieving but still going through the motions of day-to-day working life. It doesn' t have to be that way. Employers can and should offer better support to their employees. Xero, for instance, believes that everyone benefits when you create "a culture of psycho- logical safety," according to chief people officer Nicole Reid. It's about giving people a space in which their voices can be heard, their individual strengths can be celebrated, and their concerns can be supported. In short, it's about putting the human element first. Taking New Zealand's lead In March, New Zealand passed a law giving mothers and their partners three Source: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth E M P L O Y E E B E N E F I T S

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