MOSAIC recently adopted a new HR policy which will provide paid leave of up to five days for any workers who are experiencing domestic and/or sexual violence and during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, CEO Olga Stachova is calling upon other employers to follow suit.
This job-protected paid leave will provide employees with support to deal with the complexities of putting their lives back together. During this time, employees may need medical assistance, seek safe housing, legal information and ensure the safety of their children.
Although the BC Employment Standards Act stipulates an unpaid leave for victims of this type of abuse, our province lags behind others in Canada who have already adopted the paid leave as part of their employment standards. The BC Government recently led a province-wide consultation about whether our Employment Standards Act should also be a paid leave. MOSAIC has multiple programs working with immigrants and refugees who have been impacted by gender-based violence and the organization shared its expertise and made recommendations during the consultations.
Stachova penned an op-ed which calls on other employers to adopt the paid leave policy. “Everyone deserves to live free from violence and harm. It’s time for employers to become leaders and create a culture where victims of domestic and/or sexual violence feel safe and supported without the fear of losing their jobs.”
Read the op-ed here:
The Sudbury Star, December 2, 2019.
Aspectives Newsletter, November 29, 2019
