Apr 18, 2017 09:55 AM EDT By Anne Collins, UniversityHerald Reporter

Indiana University has announced that they will offer full paid parental leave for all their staff employees of the university. The program was endorsed on Friday by the Board of Trustees during their meeting at the IU East campus.

The paid parental leave program takes into full effect on July 1st and will provide up to six weeks of paid leave for parents after a birth or adoption. It will be made available to parents, both mothers and fathers, whose child is born or adopted on or after July 1 regardless of marital or relationship status.

IU President Michael A. McRobbie said the major new policy underscores the value Indiana University places on the well-being of their employees. He said it aims to help IU continue to attract and retain outstanding staff employees as the university prepares to enter its third century of service to the state, nation and world.

The program is for all regular staff employees at Indian University that have non-temporary position s of 30 hours or more per week a nd have been continuously employed in a benefits-eligible position for at least 12 months before the birth or adoption. Staff employees will be able to use their paid parental leave on an intermittent basis, but it must be completed within six months following the birth or adoption, Fox 59 reported.

If it happens that both parents are IU employees, each would be entitled to take six weeks of paid leave. The new parental leave is separate and does not cut into any other paid leave that employees have already accrued, such as paid time off or sick days, The Indy Star reported.

If the eligible employee also happens to meet the eligibility requirements of the Family and Medical Leave Act, parental leave will run concurrently with FMLA. They are eligible for up to two parental leaves during the course of their career in IU.

For more information or question about the paid parental leave, IU employees can contact the Office of Human Resources at recben@iu.edu.

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