Sharing the Caring
As part of the coalition government’s agenda to move family friendly working into 21st century, Shared Parental Leave (ShPL) comes into effect next month.
The right to take Shared Parental Leave and receive statutory shared parental pay applies to qualifying parents of babies due (or adopted) on or after 5 April 2015. It is the official due date that is the crucial element here – not the actual date a baby is born.
Mothers are able to end their maternity leave early and share any remaining weeks of leave and pay with their partner.
The employees can take their shared parental leave as one or a number of separate occasions, interspersing periods of work with periods of leave. They can also take leave at the same time as each other.
Managing the process, particularly for periods of discontinuous leave, is complex and employers may be at risk of discrimination if different decisions are made between male and female applicants. In addition entitlement to Additional Paternity Leave ends as Shared Parental Leave commences. Having a policy and process will support employee understanding and management the process efficiently and fairly.
Uptake of Additional Paternity Leave was not widespread and whilst there may be limited participation in Shared Parental Leave, as the culture of work and parenting evolves and the gender pay gap diminishes, we would envision a steady and increasing usage of Shared Parental Leave over the coming years.
