'Keeping In Touch' with staff on maternity
Posted 10 April 2007 at 9:31AM by Simon Dickson in Hints and tips
New rules on maternity came into force on 1 April, giving additional rights to both employees and employers.
Business Link advises that the period of entitlement to Statutory Maternity Pay has been extended to 39 weeks, and all pregnant women are entitled to take up to one year off work. By way of consolation to employers, women must give eight weeks' notice if they want to return to work earlier or later than planned.
The new rules also introduce the idea of paid 'Keeping In Touch' days, when the employee agrees to come into work during her maternity leave. An employee can agree to work up to ten 'keeping in touch' days, without affecting her right to continue their paid maternity leave. But she can't be treated negatively if she chooses not to come in.
The DTI advises that the work carried out on these Keeping In Touch days is for the employee and employer to agree on; but it suggests that appropriate usage of this time might be for training, or attending conferences and team meetings.
Awareness of the new rules was low, according to the Institue of Payroll Professionals. They found that nearly three-quarters of women - particularly younger women, those on low incomes, or those living outside the major cities - didn't know about the changes. A narrow majority of respondents to their survey said the changes were 'fair'.
But the Forum of Private Business says the increasing legislation is backfiring. 'Small businesses are worried about the cost of covering the duties of new mothers,' says the FPB's Victoria Carson. 'The administrative burden and cost of employing mothers of young children is becoming a disincentive to employers to take them on.'
If you're looking for information on maternity entitlement, your best bet is Business Link, which has lots of good information in plain English. If you're an employer dealing with a pregnant employee, you might want to use their interactive tool to get tailored advice.
Tags: leave, maternity, regulation
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Comments
2. At April 10, 2007 6:48 PM, Richard Brown wrote:
I think that all these "rights" granted to those who choose to have children are grossly unfair to (and add to the workload of) both single people & those who have chosen not to have children. What happened to equality?
3. At April 11, 2007 4:04 PM, Charlotte Plater wrote:
In responce to Mr Brown... Why is it unfair to those who choose not to have children? It's their choice and those who do have children don't have them because they can get extra leave!!
4. At April 13, 2007 12:35 PM, brian Ellis wrote:
Once again the government have made it harder for the smaller companies to function, we will be forced to change our out look on employing women of child bearing age as we are now being forced to pay twice for the work to be done and for longer, thank you Labour party you are so in touch with the working people!!!!
5. At April 13, 2007 6:48 PM, Richard Brown wrote:
Charlotte - I never said that people have children to get extra leave! What I did say was that everybody should have the same rights to extra leave. Why should I (or anybody else) have to do someone else's work - in addition to my own - for no extra benefit?
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1. At April 10, 2007 3:46 PM, Zillah Roberts wrote: