Having or Adopting a Baby

1. Notify Your Manager

• Let your manager know at least 30 days before your upcoming leave (or as soon as possible if 30 days’ notice isn’t possible).

2.  Submit Your Formal Leave Request

• Once you’ve discussed your plans with your manager, complete your formal Parental Leave Request Form to officially begin the leave process. This step notifies Payroll, HR and Benefits so we can prepare the necessary documentation for your leave and ensure everything is in place for benefits administration and top-up (if eligible) once your government benefit approval is received.
• When submitting your request, please include your estimated last day of work and anticipated return date. We understand that plans can change — especially for maternity and parental leaves — so if your leave dates shift, just let us know and we’ll update your records accordingly. 

3. Review Your Pension and Benefits Options During Your Leave

Republic Services Benefits will send you a Pension Election Form before your leave begins. Complete and return the form to indicate whether you wish to continue pension contributions during your leave, if applicable.

Manulife will contact you directly to review your employee-paid benefits and any premium payments that may be required while you are on leave.

• Whether you will maintain certain benefits or pension contributions during your leave
• If applicable, how you wish to continue or suspend optional life insurance or other voluntary benefits
• Note: If we do not receive your completed Benefits Election Form before the start of your leave, your benefits coverage — including Long-Term Disability — will be continued automatically and you will be responsible for paying the required premiums.

4. Apply for Government Benefits (EI or QPIP) if you’d like to get a head start

• Your government benefits (EI or QPIP) can begin only after your Record of Employment (ROE) has been submitted to finalize your application.
• If you live outside of Quebec (EI): 
  • You can begin your application with Service Canada before your leave begins. Our payroll team will submit your ROE directly to Service Canada after your last paid day, and they will process your application once it’s received. 
  • Apply for employment insurance maternity and or parental benefits through Service Canada. 
• If you live in Quebec (QPIP):
  • You can apply up to 12 weeks before your leave begins. Once your leave has started and your ROE has been issued, you’ll need to upload it yourself to complete your application. 
  • Apply for Quebec Parental Insurance Plan benefits through the QPIP website.

1. Apply for government benefits (EI or QPIP) if you haven’t already:

• Applications can be finalized only after your last day of paid work / first day without pay.
• Your Record of Employment (ROE) must be issued before your government application is finalized. 

• Here’s what to expect:
  In Quebec:

  • Payroll will submit your ROE to Service Canada after your last paid day.
  • You will need to retrieve your ROE from your My Service Canada Account or request it from Payroll.
  • Upload the ROE to your QPIP application to activate your benefits. 
    In All Other Provinces:  
  • Payroll will submit your ROE electronically to Service Canada. 
  • You do not need to upload it yourself — Service Canada will link it to your application automatically.

  In All Other Provinces:

  • Payroll will submit your ROE electronically to Service Canada. 
  • You do not need to upload it yourself — Service Canada will link it to your application automatically.

2. Paid Parental Leave Top-Up Benefits

• If you applied for the Company’s paid parental leave top-up benefits, you will need to provide confirmation that your government parental leave benefits (EI or QPIP) have been approved. Forward a copy to Payroll Canada to initiate your top-up payments.

Note: It may take several weeks for the government to process your EI or QPIP application and issue your benefit approval. Your top-up payments from the Company can begin only after you’ve submitted this approval confirmation to Payroll.

3. Add Your Child to Your Group Benefits

• Within 31 days of your child’s birth or adoption, sign in to the Manulife member portal (manulife.ca) and submit a life event to add your child to your group benefits. Republic Services will no longer use Workday to track or process benefit plan changes.
• When completing the life event in the Manulife portal:
  • Sign in to your Manulife member account. 
  • Select the option to report a life event and add a dependant.
  • Enter your child’s full name and date of birth or adoption.  
  • Select the eligible health and/or dental coverage you would like for your child and provide any requested supporting documentation.
• Submit the change within 31 days of the birth or adoption and keep the confirmation for your records. If you need help, contact the Corporate Benefits Team at corporatebenefits@republicservices.com.

4. Update Life Insurance Beneficiary (optional)

• If you wish to update your beneficiary designation, make the change directly through the Manulife member portal. Republic Services will no longer use Workday to track or process beneficiary changes.
• Once signed in, review your group benefits coverage and follow the prompts to update your beneficiary information.

5. If your return-to-work plans change, notify your manager and the Corporate Benefits Team as soon as possible.

1. Confirm Your Return Date

• At least four weeks before your expected return, reach out to your manager so that preparations can be made, such as system access, work planning, etc.

2. Reinstate Benefits or Contributions

If any of your benefits were paused during your leave, sign in to the Manulife member portal to complete any required benefit changes or reactivation. If you need assistance, contact the Corporate Benefits Team by submitting a SNOW ticket.