In February 2023, Adam, a Senior Content Writer on the Foresters Brand team, became a father. As a first-time dad, Adam had a lot on his plate, from juggling diaper changes, cleaning and sterilizing an avalanche of bottles and getting in more steps than ever walking his daughter around to help her sleep. One of his biggest worries was taking the time off he needed for his family. But Foresters parental leave policies gave him the peace of mind he needed.
Taking time off with the help of a supportive team
In mid-2022, Adam announced to his coworkers that he and his wife were expecting during an in-office creative collaboration day. He started working with his boss to plan out what his time off would look like.
Adam spoke about his initial worries, saying, “I couldn’t have been more excited, but I also had no idea how to even start getting my time off requested because I was so new to this.”
It began with a few calls to his manager to discuss the baby’s due date and when he could step away to support his wife and child. During his call, Adam’s manager mentioned that Foresters recently offered employees a top-up to full salary for any time of parental leave for up to 12 weeks.
From there, they set up a direct call with an HR business partner to discuss Foresters parental leave process and how to take the time off. Adam received helpful advice and guidance from his HR team, covering not just Foresters policies but also important details about benefits offered by the Canadian government.
Once his daughter was born and Adam was well into his first month of parental leave, Foresters Pension and Benefits team reached out to him to check in about his benefits top-up. After asking how his wife and daughter were doing, they made sure that he sent over his EI statement from Service Canada to process his top-up pay. The team’s email outlined everything they needed from Adam to ensure his top-up payment was processed without any issues.
“It was a nice feeling. The team was watching out for my family and me, and it made things a little easier during a life-changing time,” said Adam when asked about his interaction with the Pension and Benefits team.
A team ready to help at every life stage
At Foresters, our goal is to support our employees and their families first and foremost, particularly during an exciting time like welcoming a child into a family. With our maternity/parental leave top-up, new parents, whether through natural or surrogate births or through adoptions, can get more financial support during their time with their new addition to the family.
We’re a team with many backgrounds and beliefs, all working together to do real meaningful work. We are always on the lookout for talented and passionate individuals to join Foresters and grow in their careers. Learn more about our current openings here at Foresters on our careers page now!
422299 CAN/US (08/23)
