But if you’re a permanent employee you can, Employment rights mean your job is protected whilst you take the leave, as well as aspects such as pay rises, accrued holiday and the ability to return to work, You don’t have to take the whole 52 weeks, You must take 2 weeks leave once the baby is born (4 weeks if you’re a factory worker), Typically the earliest you can start maternity leave is 11 weeks prior to the expected birth, If you want to change your return date you must give your employer 8 weeks notice, Regardless of how long you’ve been at your job you’re entitled to a year of statutory maternity leave, Statutory pay entitles you to up to 39 weeks pay; 6 weeks on 90% of your average weekly earnings (before tax) and then 33 weeks of £140.98 a week OR 90% as above, whichever is lower. Weekly newsletter with articles, tips, quotes & more! Dictionary definition: Any official or formal program to provide practical experience for…. The main issue, however, is financial. If your company doesn’t already operate an equal pay policy, it’s time to consider how this could be negatively affecting your business as well as your employees. In terms of parental leave, an open-minded approach is also likely to benefit your business in the long run. One policy that clearly demonstrates a business’s commitment to its employees’ work-life balance is its parental leave allowance. After 39 weeks the employer isn’t required to pay anything further, although this is at the discretion of the employer, Employment rights mean your job is protected whilst you take the leave, as well as aspects such as pay rises, accrued holiday and other benefits you get such as gym membership, dental cover, medical insurance. It goes without saying that those replicating past approaches are fitting square pegs into round holes – to the cost of individuals and their business as a whole… true agility will ensure organisations focus on achieving the right result, without perpetuating ineffective practise. As in France, statutory maternity leave in Spain is 16 weeks (11); a figure which rises to 18 weeks for twins and 20 weeks for triplets (although at least 6 weeks must be taken after the birth). Maternity Vs. Paternity leave and pay. Randstad Solutions Limited, is a limited company registered in England and Wales with registered number 02389033. Currently in the UK, new fathers or same-sex partners can take 1-2 weeks of paternity leave – typically, that’s just 10 days. This page lists the benefits you're entitled to when you're pregnant, and has information on maternity, paternity and shared parental leave. Why might this be? RANDSTAD, HUMAN FORWARD and SHAPING THE WORLD OF WORK are registered trademarks of Randstad N.V. Paternity/Maternity (for men/women) is the time you take off from work when your partner is having a baby, adopting or having a baby through surrogacy. Additional maternity leave can also be taken, however, until the baby is 6 months old- the mother can use this herself or return to work and transfer the leave, partially or fully, to the child’s father. Join our Facebook group where we discuss the books, films, downloads etc. Maternity leave can be taken before or after birth within 60 days of delivery. New parents can share up to 50 weeks of leave in the first year after the baby is born; but only 37 weeks are paid and this benefit is also subject to terms and conditions. While the system has been criticised for being too rigid, ‘driving parents (mostly mothers) away from the labour market’, it at least acknowledges the importance of family bonding time, and is also open to new fathers’ rights: considerable changes are being made ‘to better meet the needs of families’, including the introduction of a ‘daddy-month’ to motivate dads to take parental leave (14). At the top of the TUC European League Table of Decently-Paid Maternity Leave, Croatia offers new mums 14 weeks of mandatory maternity leave: 28 days prior to the expected date of birth and up to 70 days after (12). What can we learn from other countries about how to meet the needs of modern parents? With increasing pressure on organisations and IWD championing balance, we hope to see a shift in attitude- equal pay alone would ensure financial stability for many families. A report from Rutgers University found that women taking paid leave are more likely to be working 9-12 months after a child’s birth than those who take no leave. The amount depends on your company policy, Typically you can take up to 6.5 hrs per appointment, but it’s at the discretion of your employer whether they extend this, Depending on your policy, you could be entitled to take anywhere from 1-2 weeks to months of paid leave or half-paid leave, Leave can’t start before the birth and must end within 56 days of the birth, You may be eligible for shared parental leave (taking leave in blocks to share rather than all at once), If you’re an agency worker, you’ll need to have been doing your job for 12 weeks before you quality for paternity leave. 66% of men surveyed by My Family Care said they would be encouraged to use more family-friendly policies if they were confident it wouldn’t impact their career; but as matters stand, they feel their organisation expects men to put work above family commitments (4)). This amounts to 8 months for the first and second child or 30 months for twins and every subsequent child and it is usual for parents to divide this leave evenly, each taking 4 or 15 months off work. In addition to the trials that face UK parents if they decide to take parental leave, a host of difficulties remain for parents who aren’t eligible for maternity/paternity pay. Modern employees expect more than just a gym discount when they’re offered a new job- and for several years now, a fair proportion of new grads have had their heads turned by generous opportunities overseas. While maternity leave and paternity leave are common practices in many countries around the world, the length of leave and payment protections vary greatly from one nation to the next. The major and crystal clear difference is that, maternity leaves start from the time of child birth in contrast to parental leaves that can be availed after some time of child birth after passing the duration of maternity leaves. All dads should be entitled to paternity pay from day one in their job – regardless of what kind of contract they have.’ (6). Statutory Maternity Leave. Additionally, breastfeeding mothers are entitled to two paid half-hour daily breaks to feed or express milk. You are successfully logged out of your my randstad account, You have successfully deleted your account. The most successful businesses have a global reach- but what’s perhaps more important is a global attitude. You are entitled to take time off to attend antenatal appointments or adoption appointments. find a job; submit your cv; areas of expertise; coronavirus advice; employers. Join our Facebook group where we discuss the books, films, downloads etc. In actuality, this amounted to 7,165 students in 2015/2016 (2). Another area in which the UK’s policy falls short is its multiple birth policy – whilst countries such as France and Spain make allowances for twins and triplets, British parents get the same amount of leave regardless of how many babies are born per pregnancy. Most companies will pay, to some degree, whilst you are taking this specific time off. The same survey found that 36% of prospective graduates perceive ‘a good balance between personal and professional life’ to be the hallmark of career success. This International Women’s day, Randstad is focusing on the ways in which businesses can break down stereotypes that affect both their male and female staff. © Randstad N.V. 2019. Is this a criterion that is better met by our international partners? We’ll just keep paying them normally, eliminating the headache of switching to state or disability pay.’ (8) The company backs their decision with research that shows that people perform better at work when they’re not worrying about home: reporter Lydia Dishman also notes that ‘while levelling the playing field for both women and men, Netflix is also putting stock in its staff’s ability to be accountable for themselves and their productivity.’ In light of their ground-breaking new policy, Netflix has scored good reviews from existing and former employees and continues to grow employee loyalty, with the expectation of high economic returns. Each company, however, has a different policy on paternity and maternity pay – it’s always worth checking when you start a new job exactly what you are entitled to. If you’ve got what it takes to be a Better Business, read our other articles and follow the hashtag #BalanceForBetter. But if you’re a permanent employee you can, Employment rights mean your job is protected whilst you take the leave, as well as aspects such as pay rises, accrued holiday and the ability to return to work, You don’t have to take the whole 52 weeks, You must take 2 weeks leave once the baby is born (4 weeks if you’re a factory worker), Typically the earliest you can start maternity leave is 11 weeks prior to the expected birth, If you want to change your return date you must give your employer 8 weeks notice, Regardless of how long you’ve been at your job you’re entitled to a year of statutory maternity leave, Statutory pay entitles you to up to 39 weeks pay; 6 weeks on 90% of your average weekly earnings (before tax) and then 33 weeks of £140.98 a week OR 90% as above, whichever is lower.