Canadian HR Reporter

36 www.hrreporter.com S P O N S O R E D delving into the area of top-ups when it comes to maternity and parental leave in Canada, Aon has found that many organizations are unclear on the starting point. "They have an idea of what a traditional top-up is, but are looking for more information on how it might be structured, what their peers are doing, and how it can be used to address new priorities," says Kelly Higgins, associate vice president of health solutions at Aon. To that end, Aon took a comprehensive cross-industry look at the state of maternity and parental programs across Canada. Conducted across June and July of this year, the survey featured input from 207 organizations and is the basis of the report Supporting Families at Work: Maternity and Parental Top-up Plans. Notably, Aon found progression in certain areas — but slowdowns in others. "We were a bit surprised that there hadn't been any movement on the maternity top-up front. Coverage numbers have not changed since 2017, the last time we collected data on top-up programs," says Higgins. There is more movement, however, in the parental leave top-up space, with a 10-per-cent increase between 2017 and 2021, she says. "Why? Because of social policy set by federal and provincial government. Organizations are addressing gender equity issues across the board and top- ups are one area where equitable benefits can be provided regardless of gender. Employers may be more likely now to create programs that address work-family imbalance issues, support flexibility, support career development unrestricted by family obligation, and so on." More than half of employers offer maternity top-ups while one- third offer paternity top-ups. But this benefit goes a long way in supporting employee physical, mental and financial wellbeing, and creating a culture of equality and opportunity supportive of all families, says Aon MAKING THE CASE FOR TOP-UP PLANS to all employees, while 41 per cent restrict the benefit to salaried employees. Almost two-thirds (63 per cent) say their maternity top-up was designed to align with the medical portion of the maternity/pregnancy leave, though a significant portion of those provide a longer benefit period. When it comes to parental top-ups, 33 per cent of organizations provide this benefit. Among the 33 per cent, 21 per cent offer it for six to eight weeks while 45 per cent extend it from nine to 18 weeks, and 19 per cent extend it more than 18 weeks. More than four in five (84 per cent) top up to a percentage of regular earnings of between 75 per cent and 100 per cent. Another 44 per cent make the benefit available to all employees, while 32 per cent restrict the benefit to salaried employees. Why offer top-ups? There are a variety of reasons why employers should consider offering Defining top-ups For the purposes of the survey, mater- nity leave refers to the period of job-protected leave available to a mother for the period immediately before or immediately after the birth of her child. That spans 16 to 19 weeks, depending on the jurisdiction, and the purpose is for both medical recovery and bonding. Parental leave refers to the job- protected leave available to both mothers (may be taken in addition to maternity leave) and fathers, including same-sex parents, after the birth or adoption of a child. It spans 59 to 77 weeks depending on the jurisdiction and the purpose is for bonding. I n a d d i t i o n , s u p p l e m e n t a l unemployment insurance (SUB) plans are frequently referred to as top-up plans, says Higgins. "Employment insurance (EI) or Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) benefits may be available to eligible contributors who are taking a formal unpaid leave of absence from work for various reasons, including maternity and/or parental leave." A top-up plan is a formal plan. It does not have to be registered with government authorities, but should be formally documented in the event of an audit. A SUB plan allows an employer to supplement an employee's EI or QPIP benefit up to 100 per cent of regular weekly earnings without triggering an offset to the employee's EI/QPIP benefit, she says. Breaking down the numbers About half of the employers surveyed by Aon say they have separately defined maternity and parental top-up policies, and half say they have a single top-up policy that provides the same top-up opportunity to all employees. More than half (58 per cent) of employers provide a maternity leave top-up program. Among these, 31 per cent offer it for six to eight weeks and 55 per cent extend the benefit to between nine and 18 weeks. Three-quarters (74 per cent) top up regular earnings between 75 per cent to 100 per cent, and 40 per cent top up to 100 per cent. Just over half make the benefit available "Organizations are addressing gender equity issues across the board and top-ups are one area where equitable benefits can be provided regardless of gender." Kelly Higgins, Aon IN

• Cover