Dear Faculty members,

Re: Accommodations for Childbirth and Parenting

Following an initiative by a group of faculty members, the President's Advisor for the Advancement of Women in Science and the Senior Academic Staff Union, the University Standing Committee has approved revisions to the procedures concerning accommodations following childbirth and parenting.

The full procedure is attached to this letter. Here are the main points of new arrangements:

• During their "childhood and parenting period" (also known as "maternity leave"), faculty members will not engage in teaching and related tasks, and will not hold academic administration positions, including membership in university committees, even if the tasks can be performed remotely.
• New arrangements have been made regarding the adjustment of the teaching load following childbirth and parenting leave. A faculty member who has been on full childbirth and parenting leave is entitled to a reduction of half of the normal full annual teaching load and another 2 or 4 credits (according to the conditions set in the procedure). What is new here is the entitlement to the reduction of half of the teaching load also applies to those whose childbirth and parenting leave took place during the summer; and an increase in the additional reduction (from 2 to 4 credits) for those whose childbirth and parenting leave took place during the academic year. In addition, arrangements have been made for a reduction of one-third of the teaching load for a faculty member whose spouse gave birth and chooses to go on childbirth and parenting leave, as well as a 2-credit reduction in the teaching load for a spouse who does not exercise the eligibility for childbirth and parenting leave and requests a teaching load reduction for parenting reasons. All accommodations apply to same-sex couples and single parents as well.
• An academic staff member who participates in an academic conference, in Israel or abroad, and who takes a child with them to the conference, is entitled to financing from the Science Relations Fund budget for flight and accommodation costs of an escort and a child. This applies to children up to the age of one-and-a-half-years old.  Faculty members may exercise this privilege several times a year, without limitation. Entitlement has also been set for financing an escort as aforesaid, as well as for financing special research expenses required due to a faculty member’s childbirth and parenting leave. 

We recommend that you review the full text of the new procedure. These arrangements were established in recognition of the duty to respect the right to equality.

 

Sincerely yours,

Haya Lorberboum-Galski, President’s Advisor for Advancing Women in Science

Barak Medina, Rector

 

 

 

Procedure for "Childhood and Parenting Leave" (Maternity Leave) for Senior Academic Staff

Updated date: November 2021

 

Purpose and general instructions

1. The purpose of this procedure is to determine adjustments in the academic activities of senior academic staff at the Hebrew University as a result of childbirth and parenting, in recognition of the duty to respect the right to equality.
2. This procedure is intended to increase the accommodations that exist already by virtue of the relevant legislation and collective agreements, and does not detract from rights granted to faculty members by virtue of the aforesaid arrangements.
3. A personnel coordinator in the academic unit shall bring this procedure to the attention of faculty members who are expected to go out on “childbirth and parenting” leave, shortly after receiving an update from the faculty member in this regard. The relevant provisions in this procedure will also be included in the University rules regarding determining teaching load.

Activity during "Childbirth and Parenting Leave" ("Maternity Leave")

4. The following arrangements will apply to the senior academic staff member during their "childbirth and parenting leave" (also known as "maternity leave"), as defined in the National Insurance Law and the Women's Labor Law:

1. The faculty member will not engage in teaching and related tasks, including tasks related to preparing and grading examinations and guiding teaching staff in courses that he/she teaches, including assignments done remotely. In cases in which the faculty member teaches a seminar or other course in which final papers are submitted, the examination of the papers will be done by the faculty member after the end of their childbirth and parenting leave. For this purpose, the time allotted for examining papers will not include the childbirth and parenting leave period.
2. The faculty member will not hold academic administration positions, including sitting on University committees, even if the tasks can be performed remotely. It is the dean's responsibility to appoint a substitute to serve in place of the faculty member during the faculty member’s childbirth and parenting leave period.

 

5. A faculty member may continue to engage in research during the childbirth and parenting leave period, if they so choose. The faculty member should not be required to engage in research during this period.

Adjusting the scope of instruction

6. A senior academic staff member who has been on childbirth and parenting  leave for at least twelve weeks, during which he/she is entitled to maternity/paternity pay (and for those who are entitled to maternity/paternity pay for a shorter childbirth and parenting  period, due to a part-time training period, provided that the childbirth and parenting period is at least eight weeks long), is entitled to adjust their teaching load following birth, in accordance with the following rules:

1. The faculty member is entitled to a reduction of half of the normal full annual teaching load (depending on the track in which he/she serves and the scope of his/her position) plus 2 credits. The faculty member may exercise the reduced teaching load starting from the semester during which he/she is expected to be on childbirth and parenting leave, through the end of the academic year following the year in which he/she began their childbirth and parenting period.
2. Exemption from teaching during the childbirth and parenting period, as stated in section 4 above, is included in the framework of entitlement to adjust the annual teaching load stated in section 6 (a) above. However, if a faculty member whose entitlement to a reduction of half of the annual teaching load was exercised during their childbirth and parenting period, will be entitled to a further reduction of 2 credits in the teaching load (in addition to the reduction of 2 credits referred to in section 6 (a) above - for a total reduction of 4 credits). A faculty member whose entitlement to a teaching exemption was not exercised during their childbirth and parenting leave (for instance, because studies did not take place during this period) shall be entitled to the reduction cited in section 6 (a) above only (2 credits).

7. A senior academic staff member who was on childbirth and parenting leave by virtue of a spouse's entitlement to exercise the right to childbirth and parenting leave, and the length of this period is at least seven weeks but less than twelve weeks, is entitled to a reduction of one third of the regular full-time annual teaching load (depending on the track in which he/she serves and the scope of his/her position). The faculty member may exercise the entitlement to the reduction of the teaching load (and complete the teaching load to which he/she is obligated) until the end of the academic year following the year in which he/she began their childbirth and parenting leave. The choice of the date of exercise of eligibility is left to the discretion of the faculty member.
8. A faculty member who is expected to give birth or be on their childbirth and parenting leave during an academic semester may (but is not obliged to) teach during the part of the semester until the beginning of the childbirth and parenting leave. The instruction may be in a standard format or in an accelerated format. Depending on the instruction format, the relative portion of the instruction load will be credited to the instructor.
9. If a faculty member’s childbirth and parenting leave begins after the end of the semester, the faculty member will be credited the full teaching load for the course even if he/she does not take part in tasks related to the course exams or other relevant assignments done after the end of the semester’s teaching weeks.
10. A member of the academic staff whose spouse is out on their childbirth and parenting leave, who does not exercise his/her entitlement to be out on childbirth and parenting leave in respect of this birth, is entitled to a reduction in the teaching load in the academic year during which the spouse is on their childbirth and parenting leave: a reduction of 2 credits from the normal full teaching load (depending on the track in which the academic staff member is serving), for parenting reasons. Exercising this entitlement requires submission of a reasoned request to the President’s Advisor for Gender, who is authorized to decide on this subject.

Dates of work at the University

11. Academic staff members who are parents of children up to the age of 9 are entitled to priority in setting teaching dates. The parties responsible for this in the academic unit will take into account, as much as possible, the preferences of the above-mentioned faculty members in determining their teaching dates.
12. As a rule, work meetings, departmental meetings and other academic and managerial activities at the University will be arranged so that they end by 15:30, in order to allow faculty members who are parents of children to participate in such meetings.

Extension of the probationary period

13. An academic staff member is entitled to an automatic extension of one year of his/her probationary period following each birth during the probationary period. This provision will also be included in the regulations for appointments and promotions.

Assistance in financing travel for participation in conferences and assistance in financing special research expenses

14. An academic staff member who participates in an academic conference, in Israel or abroad, and who is accompanied by a child to the conference, is entitled to financing from the Science Relations Fund budget for the flight and accommodation costs of an escort and a child, until the child reaches the age of one-and-a-half-years old. This eligibility may be exercised several times a year, without limit.
15. An academic faculty member is entitled to Hebrew University participation in financing the flight and accommodation costs of an escort as stated in section 14 above. In order to obtain this financing, an application must be submitted to the President's Advisor for Gender, specifying the balance in the fund's budget and the purpose and aims of attending the conference. The University's participation in financing the flight and accommodation costs (as stated above) will be in an amount to be determined considering the balance in the Science Relations Fund budget and the importance of participating in the conference.
16. The University will work to provide financial assistance to finance special research expenditures required due to the faculty member’s childbirth and parenting leave (including assistance in financing the employment of research assistants, increasing the scope of employment of a laboratory director, etc.). The allocation of assistance will be made by the President’s Advisor for Gender and the Vice President for Research and Development, upon submission of a reasoned request by the faculty member.