Description
Some institutions provide funding to hire temporary replacements for employees who are taking pregnancy/maternity leave. For example, in 1994 as part of its employment equity plan, the University of Alberta in Canada approved a Childbirth Leave Replacement Fund that has remained a negotiated benefit in the university’s agreement with faculty as of the agreement’s 2008 amendments. Similarly, in the US, the University of California maintains central funding to obtain a replacement lecturer/professional while a faculty member is taking pregnancy leave or reduced duties leave. Departments submit requests to their respective campuses, though to date only some campuses have instituted this centralized funding structure.
Implementation lessons learned
Institutions must plan for employees’ pregnancies, regardless of whether they establish replacement funding mechanisms. Yet without such mechanisms, employees might feel pressured to return before they are ready to do so, and other employees might have increased workloads that could lead them to resent colleagues who are taking leave. This intervention should be made available in conjunction with pregnancy/maternity leave; however, when replacement funding is not feasible, institutions should still offer pregnancy/maternity leave.
Example
University of California family accommodations funding
Additional information: PDF