Philippines Employment Guide

Maternity Leave Policy in the Philippines

Employees who have completed at least 90 days of continuous service and are pregnant are entitled to 105 days of fully paid maternity leave. For those qualifying as single parents, an additional 15 days of paid leave is provided. A minimum of 14 days must be taken prior to the expected date of childbirth, with the remainder utilized post-delivery. During this period, employees receive 100% of their average daily salary, funded through the Social Security System (SSS).

Employees also have the option to extend their leave by an additional 30 days without pay, providing greater flexibility for new mothers.

Paternity Leave Entitlements

Fathers are granted 7 calendar days of fully paid paternity leave, which must be taken immediately following the child's birth. This benefit ensures fathers can support their partners during the critical postpartum period. The employer is responsible for covering 100% of the employee's average wage during this leave.

Similar to maternity provisions, employees may request extended unpaid paternity leave when necessary.

Parental Leave Considerations

While Philippine legislation doesn't specifically mandate parental leave beyond maternity and paternity provisions, employees may access other relevant benefits. Single parents, for instance, can leverage specific protections under the Solo Parents Welfare Act. Companies like SailGlobal often implement enhanced parental support policies that exceed statutory minimums.

Managing Sick Leave and Health-Related Absences

Philippine labor law doesn't mandate separate sick leave entitlements beyond standard paid time off (PTO). Employees should submit sick leave requests through SailGlobal's Time Off platform, which streamlines the approval process.

When employees exhaust their PTO allocation but require additional recovery time, extended absences are typically treated as unpaid leave. However, eligible employees may qualify for sickness benefits through the SSS, which provides partial wage replacement similar to maternity benefits.

Case Study: Implementing Leave Policies Effectively

A multinational company recently streamlined their Philippine leave management through SailGlobal's integrated platform. By centralizing leave requests and automating SSS compliance, they reduced administrative overhead by 40% while improving employee satisfaction scores by 28%.