Career Advice » Leave From Work in BC

Employers are required to provide the following unpaid leaves:

• Pregnancy Leave: A pregnant employee can take up to 17 consecutive weeks of unpaid leave. This leave may be extended by up to six weeks if she is unable to return to work for reasons related to the birth or termination of the pregnancy.
• Parental Leave: A birth mother who has taken pregnancy leave is entitled to up to 35 consecutive weeks of unpaid leave. A birth mother who has not taken pregnancy leave is entitled to take up to 37 weeks of unpaid leave.

-A birth father or an adopting parent is entitled to up to 37 consecutive weeks of unpaid leave. This leave may be extended by up to five weeks if the child requires an additional period of parental care.

-Birth parents must give their employers at least four weeks written notice of their intention to take parental leave.

• Family Responsibility Leave: An employee can take up to five days of unpaid leave in each employment year to attend to the care, health or education of a child in the employee’s care, or to the care or health of any other member of the employee’s immediate family

-Employees are expected to give their employers as much notice as possible and provide sufficient information for their employers to understand the reason for the leave.

-Employees are not required to give notice in writing or disclose personal or private information.

• Compassionate Care Leave: An employee can take up to eight weeks of unpaid leave within a 26 week period to care for a gravely ill family member. The employee must obtain a medical certificate which states that the family member is gravely ill with a significant risk of death within 26 weeks.
• Bereavement Leave: An employee is entitled to up to three days of unpaid leave on the death of a member of the employee’s immediate family. This leave may be for purposes other than to attend a funeral.
• Jury duty: An employee who is required to attend Court as a juror is considered to be on unpaid leave for the period of the jury duty.
• Reservists' Leave: An employee who is a reservist is entitled to unpaid leave while deployed to a Canadian Forces operation, including pre-deployment and post-deployment activities, or while deployed to assist with an emergency.

Employees are expected to give their employers as much notice as possible and provide sufficient information for their employers to understand the reason for the leave. Employees are not required to give notice in writing or disclose personal or private information.

An employer may not terminate an employee or change a condition of employment, without the employee’s written consent because of a leave or pregnancy.

Factsheet: Leaves of Absence

Reprinted from http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb/esaguide/#2