Rethinking Parental Leave for Fathers 

With Father’s Day around the corner, it’s the perfect moment to reflect on how organizations can support all parents, fathers included, through equitable parental leave policies.  

Parental Leave top-ups are when employers supplement Employment Insurance (EI) benefits for employees following the birth or adoption of a child. Many organizations have embraced top-ups for mothers and birthing parents, yet fewer have extended these benefits to non-birthing parents, including fathers.  

As an HR professional and a mother of two, I’ve seen firsthand the impact of equitable parental leave policies on employee engagement and family well-being. When my partner and I welcomed our second child, his employer’s parental leave top-up gave us the financial flexibility to take the extended parental leave benefit and allowed him to fully engage in parenting. These top-ups empower parents to structure their leave, better support the mothers’ recovery, and spend quality time with their children. Extending these benefits beyond mothers provides financial security, stronger employee engagement upon return, and breaks outdated gender norms of familial roles. 

Best Practices for Equitable Parental Leave Policies 

Here’s how organizations can implement equitable policies: 

1. Offer Equal Leave for All Caregivers

• Offer equal top-ups to all parents, regardless of their role in childbirth, ensuring they receive the same duration and financial support. 

• Extend benefits to adoptive parents, and all couples, regardless of gender. 

2. Remove Gendered Language & Bias

• Use inclusive terms like “parental leave” instead of “maternity” or “paternity leave.” 

• Frame policies around caregiving responsibilities rather than traditional gender roles. 

3. Foster a Supportive Workplace Culture

• Encourage employees, especially fathers, to take full advantage of parental leave. 

• Leadership should set the tone by openly supporting and utilizing leave themselves. 

• Make sure work coverage is in place to reduce stress while on leave or upon returning. 

4. Continuously Improve Policies

• Gather feedback from employees who have used parental leave. 

• Adapt policies based on evolving workplace needs and industry standards. 

 

As we celebrate Father’s Day and recognize the importance of fatherhood, let’s also advocate for workplace policies that empower all parents, regardless of gender. When organizations prioritize equitable parental leave top-ups, they’re not just supporting employees, they’re creating a culture of inclusion, well-being, and employee engagement. Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers, and father figures, in our lives. 

 

Alison Bubar, CPHR, is a Human Resources Partner with uptreeHR Inc, a trusted human resources partner for small to medium-sized businesses. Alison and the team are based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.                                                                                          

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