What is

Maternity Leave

?

Maternity leave is the period of time that a new mother takes off work to give birth, recover and care for their new baby. Eligibility and length of leave will depend on the laws of the country the employee resides in.

Maternity leave is the timeframe that a new mother takes off work to give birth, recuperate and bond with their new child. Maternity leave begins before the anticipated due date and lasts for a few weeks after the delivery.

Maternity leave qualification, length, and pay are subject to the laws of the country, state, or province where an employee resides.

For instance, in Sweden, guardians are qualified for 480 days of paid leave for the birth of a child. It is mandatory for businesses to give this downtime to their workers.

Federal legislation in the United States does not, however, mandate parental leave. According to the US Department of Labour, businesses with 50 or more employees allow employees 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year.  

Employees are expected to use this allowance for their maternity leave. However, many employers in the United States choose to offer maternity leave benefits to their employees.

Employees who are giving birth, adopting, or fostering a child are usually able to qualify   for maternity leave. Nonetheless, to be qualified, they should meet the following prerequisites:

  • The worker's length of employment 
  • The worker's social security contributions
  • The number of workers in the organization 

In numerous countries, employees are paid for the duration of maternity leave — but not all. For instance, maternity leave in Canada is completely paid, though in Papua New Guinea it is not.

Maternity leave is typically paid by the business, government managed retirement, or both. Who is liable for pay is reliant upon nearby guidelines. A few nations, like Brazil, have the business pay the compensation up front, but they are later compensated by social security. In Mexico, qualified workers get 12 weeks of completely paid maternity leave, which is covered by both the government and employer.

Navigating maternity leave throughout different countries is a tall task, and often comes with many nuances that are hard to figure out. Working with an EOR, like Borderless, makes it easy. Book a demo today.