>Does the government subsidize this? That expense could sink a small company.
In Canada, your maternity/paternity wages come out of the Employment Insurance system, so everyone chips in. Mothers or fathers can split the leave, which is 52 weeks or more. Seems like a good system.
But some of your concerns are valid; from the employer's standpoint, planning around your staff having children isn't easy. Sometimes new parents decide to never come back to work, and in this country aren't required to provide special notice.
In Canada, your maternity/paternity wages come out of the Employment Insurance system, so everyone chips in. Mothers or fathers can split the leave, which is 52 weeks or more. Seems like a good system.
But some of your concerns are valid; from the employer's standpoint, planning around your staff having children isn't easy. Sometimes new parents decide to never come back to work, and in this country aren't required to provide special notice.