1. Maternity leave
The University offers the following leave programs to allow expectant and nursing mothers (excluding part-time workers other than medical staff and residents at University Hospital [“part-time workers”]) to give birth:
- Female workers within 8 weeks (14 weeks for multiple pregnancies) of their due date are eligible for leave upon request. This is a paid leave program.
- Female workers who have given birth during the last eight weeks are eligible for leave upon request. (Provided that their physician clears them, mothers can, if they wish, return to work once six weeks have passed since the delivery.) This is a paid leave program.
Expectant and nursing mothers who are part-time workers are eligible for the following unpaid leave programs.
- Female part-time workers within 8 weeks (14 weeks for multiple pregnancies) of their due date are eligible for leave upon request, up to the date of their delivery.
- Female part-time workers who have given birth during the last eight weeks are eligible for leave upon request. (Provided that their physician clears them, mothers can, if they wish, return to work once six weeks have passed since the delivery.)
Procedure
Staff members wishing to apply for maternity leave should fill in the Leave (Sick Leave/Special Leave) form and submit it to the duty supervisor in their organization.
Tip
While Article 65 (1) of the Labor Standards Act mandates that employers provide six weeks of maternity leave prior to delivery, the University has chosen to exceed those provisions by offering workers eight weeks of leave.
2. Childcare leave
Workers with children less than three years of age are eligible for childcare leave upon request. This is an unpaid leave program.
Procedure
Staff members wishing to take childcare leave should apply for a specific leave period to the University officer responsible for staff appointments* no later than one month before the start of the desired period.
Workers utilizing the University’s childcare leave program are eligible for childcare leave benefits under the Employment Insurance Act until the child in question reaches one year of age (or one year and six months if the worker’s need to take leave after the child reaches one year of age is recognized, for example because the child is not receiving care at a daycare facility).
A childcare leave allowance is also available from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Mutual Society of Health Insurance, although individuals receiving childcare leave benefits under the Employment Insurance Act are not eligible to receive that allowance.
Following the revision of the Act on the Welfare of Workers Who Take Care of Children or Other Family Members Including Child Care and Family Care Leave (Act No. 76 of May 15, 1991; “Child Care and Family Care Leave Act”) on April 1, 2005, the University extended eligibility for the childcare leave program to part-time workers meeting certain conditions who need to care for a child of less than three years of age. This childcare leave program is unpaid.
To be eligible for this program, part-time workers must meet the following conditions:
- They must have been continuously employed by the University for at least one year.
- There must be an expectation of continued employment by the University after the last day of childcare leave (unless the worker’s term of employment is scheduled to end within one year of the child for whom childcare leave is requested turning one year old, without any prospect of that term of employment being renewed).
Tip
While the Child Care and Family Care Leave Act’s childcare leave provisions apply to children less than one year of age (or, if certain conditions are met, children of less than one year and six months of age), the University has chosen to broaden its program to include children up to three years of age. Based on a revision to the Child Care and Family Care Leave Act that took effect on April 1, 2010, workers taking childcare leave within a certain period of the child’s date of birth (eight weeks of maternity leave) are eligible to take childcare leave again. Even if the worker’s spouse stays at home to care for the child(ren) or is on childcare leave, the worker is eligible for shortened working hours to make time for childcare and part-time childcare leave.
3. Part-time childcare leave
With the approval of the University, workers with children who have not yet entered elementary school can shorten their working hours by up to two hours each day, taken either at the beginning or end of their normal working hours, in order to spend time caring for their children (under a program known as “part-time childcare leave”). However, time not worked is tracked on a monthly basis, and worker pay (salary) will be reduced to reflect the amount of time taken off.
Procedure
Staff members wishing to take part-time childcare leave should fill in a specific leave period and hours on the appropriate form and submit it to the duty supervisor in their organization.
Tip
The Child Care and Family Care Leave Act defines a part-time leave program as a measure that shortens working hours. While the Act requires employers to put such measures in place for workers with children from one to two years of age (i.e., children are eligible until they reach three years of age) and strongly encourages employers to offer similar programs for workers with children from three years of age until they enter elementary school, the University has proactively chosen to make all workers with children who have not yet entered elementary school eligible for part-time childcare leave. (The decision was implemented in April 2005.)
Although the program had required part-time childcare leave to be taken in 30-minute blocks, the University began allowing workers to take leave in 15-minute blocks in April 2005 to provide a higher level of convenience by permitting workers to fine-tune their use of the program.
For example, the change allows workers who need to pick up their children at a daycare facility to use 15 minutes of part-time leave so that they can end their workday at 5:00 pm.
4. Shortened working hours to make time for childcare
With the approval of the University, workers with children who have not yet entered elementary school can select any of the following working arrangements (under a program known as “shortened working hours to make time for childcare”). Worker pay (salary) is adjusted to reflect weekly working hours.
- Four hours per day (20 hours per week)
- Five hours per day (25 hours per week)
- Six hours per day (30 hours per week)
- Three days per week (23 hours and 15 minutes per week)
- Two and a half days per week (19 hours and 30 minutes per week)
Part-time workers paid by the day who have been continuously employed by the University for at least one year are eligible for shortened working hours to make time for childcare under the same working arrangements as full-time workers.
Medical staff and residents working at University Hospital who have children of up to third grade in elementary school are eligible to work from 12 hours to 30 hours per week, regardless of their length of employment.
However, in each of the above cases, worker pay (salary) will be adjusted to reflect weekly working hours.
Procedure
Staff members wishing to shorten their working hours to make time for childcare should fill in a specific period during which they wish to reduce their hours along with the desired working arrangements on the appropriate form and submit it to the duty supervisor in their organization.
Tip
Childcare leave, part-time childcare leave, and shortened hours to make time for childcare are available not only to female workers but male worker as well.
5. Family care leave programs
Distinct from the childcare leave programs described above, the University also offers workers leave programs to facilitate nursing care of family members, including children. Please note that these programs cannot be used at the same time as childcare leave programs.
1. Family Care Leave
Workers with a family member requiring constant care due to injury, illness, or physical or mental disability are eligible for family care leave upon request. This is an unpaid leave program.
Procedure
Staff members wishing to take family care leave should apply to the University officer responsible for staff appointments no later than two weeks before the date on which they desire to begin the leave. A description of the nature of nursing care required as well as the desired family care leave period, which may range from two weeks to one year in duration, must be included.
Workers utilizing the University’s family care leave program are eligible for family care leave benefits under the Employment Insurance Act.
A family care leave allowance is also available from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Mutual Society of Health Insurance, although individuals receiving family care leave benefits under the Employment Insurance Act are not eligible to receive that allowance.
Following the revision of the Act on the Welfare of Workers Who Take Care of Children or Other Family Members Including Child Care and Family Care Leave (Act No. 76 of May 15, 1991; “Child Care and Family Care Leave Act”) on April 1, 2005, the University extended eligibility for the family care leave program to part-time workers meeting certain conditions who have a family member requiring constant care due to injury, illness, or physical or mental disability. This family care leave program is unpaid.
To be eligible for this program, part-time workers must meet the following conditions:
- They must have been continuously employed by the University for at least one year.
- There must be an expectation of continued employment by the University after the 93rd day following the start of family care leave (unless the worker’s term of employment is scheduled to end within one year of the 93rd day, without any prospect of that term of employment being renewed).
2. Part-time family care leave
With the approval of the university, workers with a family member who requires nursing care due to special circumstances such as an injury, illness, or physical or mental disability can receive part or all of their daily working hours as time off (under a program known as “part-time family care leave”). However, hours or days not worked under this part-time leave program are tracked on a monthly basis, and worker pay (salary) will be reduced by the appropriate hourly or daily equivalent.
The part-time family care leave program gives workers time off during part of their normal daily working hours. Workers can take up to four hours off at the beginning or end of their normal working hours to provide nursing care over the course of a day. Time is calculated in 15-minute blocks.
Procedure
Staff members wishing to take part-time family care leave should fill in the desired part-time family care leave period and hours on the appropriate form and submit it to the duty supervisor in their organization.
Tip
The University allows part-time family care leave to be taken in 15-minute blocks to provide a higher level of convenience by permitting workers to fine-tune their use of the program (this change took effect on April 1, 2005).
While the Child Care and Family Care Leave Act requires that the family member in question need constant care, the University has implemented the part-time family care leave program to allow workers to provide care not only on a constant, but also on a part-time, basis.