Employees are provided with authorized time off as per the Ontario Employment Standards Act (ESA) without negative impact on their employment status. ServiceMaster is committed to providing work-life balance for its employees and understands that situations can and will arise that call for immediate, emergency leave. 

 

Pregnancy/Parental Leave

An employee who is pregnant and has been employed at ServiceMaster for a period of at least thirteen (13) weeks prior to the due date will qualify for a pregnancy leave without pay for up to seventeen (17) weeks.

 

Any employee who has completed at least thirteen (13) weeks of employment prior to commencing a leave of absence, and is entering into a parental care situation that appears to be of a permanent nature (i.e. birth parent, adopting parent, person in a relationship with a parent of a child and plans to treat the child as their own), is entitled to a maximum of sixty-one (61) weeks of leave without pay for birth mothers who take pregnancy leave and sixty-three (63) weeks of leave without pay for all other new parents.

 

The employee must provide at least two (2) weeks’ written notice of the day upon which the employee intends to commence the leave of absence.

 

In the event that the employee is not returning after the completion of the pregnancy/parental leave, the employee must provide a minimum of four (4) weeks written notice of the intent not to return.

 

Personal Emergency Leave

Employees are eligible for personal emergency leave days due to:

• • Personal illness, injury or medical emergency; or
  • Death, illness, medical emergency or urgent matter related to the following family members:
    • A spouse;
    • A parent, step-parent, foster parent, child, step-child, foster child, grandparent, step-grandparent, grandchild or step-grandchild of the employee or the employee’s spouse;
    • The spouse of the employee’s child;
    • A brother or sister of the employee;

• A relative of the employee who is dependent on the employee for care or assistance.

 

Employees will receive eight (8) unpaid days according to the Employment Standards Act which includes three (3) days for personal illness, three (3) days for family emergencies, and two (2) days for bereavement per calendar year. Two (2) days bereavement leave will be paid for the death of an immediate family member.  In the event the death occurs outside of Canada the employee shall be entitled to one (1) days leave with pay.  Bereavement leave shall not extend beyond the date of the funeral or memorial service.  Immediate family members are:  current spouse, son, daughter, sister or brother, mother or father, grandparent, grandchild and current mother in law or current father in law.  The employee must provide proof to substantiate their request for bereavement leave.

 

Employees will not be paid for unused personal emergency leave time at the end of the year or upon separation from employment. Personal emergency leave is counted in entire days, regardless of whether a full or partial day was taken. 

 

Any employee unable to work due to illness must refer to the Absenteeism policy.

 

Bereavement Leave

 

Family Caregiver Leave

Employees are eligible for unpaid time off to provide care or support to specific family members who have a serious medical condition. Eight (8) weeks per calendar year can be provided for each specified family member. 

 

The employee must provide ServiceMaster written notice before the leave begins, or if that is not possible, as soon as possible after the leave begins.

 

Family Medical Leave

Employees are eligible for unpaid time off to provide care or support to certain specific individuals who have a serious medical condition with a significant risk of dying within twenty-six (26) weeks. Employees can take twenty-eight (28) weeks in a fifty-two (52) week period for each individual.

 

The employee must provide ServiceMaster written notice before the leave begins, or if that is not possible, as soon as possible after the leave begins.

 

Critical Illness Leave

Employees who have been employed for at least six (6) consecutive months may take unpaid time off work to provide care or support to a critically ill child or adult who is a family member of the employee for whom a qualified health practitioner has issued a certificate. Critical illness leave provides up to thirty-seven (37) weeks in relation to a critically ill minor child, or seventeen (17) weeks in relation to a critically ill adult within a fifty-two (52) week period.

 

The employee must notify Company in writing before the leave begins, or if that is not possible, as soon as possible after the leave begins.

 

Organ Donor Leave

Employees can take thirteen (13) unpaid weeks off for an organ donor leave for the purpose of undergoing surgery to donate an organ to another person. Extensions may be granted for a maximum total of twenty-six (26) weeks should the employee not yet be able to perform the duties of their job. 

 

If possible, employees must provide two (2) weeks’ written notice before beginning the leave or extending it.

 

Child Death Leave

After being employed for at least six (6) consecutive months, employees may take unpaid time off if the employee’s child dies. An employee may take a leave of up to one hundred and four (104) weeks with respect to the death of a child.

 

Employees are to inform ServiceMaster in writing that they will take this leave, and provide a written plan indicating the weeks in which the leave will be taken.

 

Crime-Related Child Disappearance Leave

After being employed for at least six (6) consecutive months, employees may take unpaid time off if the employee’s child disappears resulting from a crime. An employee may take a leave of up to one hundred and four (104) weeks for the disappearance of a child.

 

Employees are to inform ServiceMaster in writing that they will take this leave, and provide a written plan indicating the weeks in which the leave will be taken.

 

Domestic or Sexual Violence Leave

After being employed for at least thirteen (13) consecutive weeks, employees may take time off if the employee or the employee’s child experiences domestics or sexual violence, or the threat of domestics or sexual violence, and the leave of absence is taken for any of the following purposes:

• To seek medical attention for the employee or the child of the employee in respect of a physical or psychological injury or disability caused by the domestic or sexual violence.
• To obtain services from a victim services organization for the employee or the child of the employee.
• To obtain psychological or other professional counselling for the employee or the child of the employee.
• To relocate temporarily or permanently.
• To seek legal or law enforcement assistance, including preparing for or participating in any civil or criminal legal proceeding related to or resulting from the domestic or sexual violence.
• Such other purposes as may be prescribed.

 

An employee may take up to fifteen (15) weeks each calendar year with the first five (5) days of the leave in each calendar year being paid.  

 

Employees are to inform ServiceMaster in writing that they will take this leave as soon as possible.

 

Reservist Leave

Employees who are military reservists and who are deployed to an international operation or to an operation within Canada that is or will be providing assistance in dealing with an emergency or its aftermath (including search and rescue operations) are entitled under the ESA to an unpaid leave for the time necessary to engage in that operation. To be eligible for reservist leave, employees must have worked for ServiceMaster for at least six (6) consecutive months. 

 

Employees must provide reasonable advance written notice of the day on which they will begin and end the leave. 

 

Jury Duty

Employees are entitled to unpaid time off if they are required to serve as a juror in any court of law. In the event that the jury duty requirement lasts for only part of a day, the employee shall return to work for the remainder of the day whenever possible.

 

Employees selected for jury duty must provide ServiceMaster with as much advance notice as possible. Advance notice shall be accompanied by a copy of the summons to jury duty for documentation purposes.

 

General

An employee may be entitled to more than one of these leaves for the same event. Each leave is separate and the right to each leave is independent of any right an employee may have to the other leave(s). Employees on approved leaves will continue to earn seniority and credit for length of service.

 

When the employee returns from their leave, they will be reinstated to the same position held before their leave if it still exists, or to a comparable position if it does not.

 

ServiceMaster may request evidence reasonable upon the circumstances to support the need for applicable leaves as outlined under the ESA. 

 

Unauthorized Leave of Absence

Any absence that has not been pre-approved is considered an unauthorized leave of absence. This includes the following:

1. not showing up for a scheduled shift
2. not following the proper notification method
3. refusing to work a scheduled shift
4. not returning from an authorized leave of absence on the scheduled date

Any unauthorized leave of absence will result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. An unauthorized leave of absence lasting three (3) consecutive scheduled working days or more, where all attempts have been made on the part of ServiceMaster to contact the employee, is considered a resignation by job abandonment.