Parental Leave and Holidays
It’s that time of year when we look forward to the warner weather and plan our summer holidays, but for many working parents juggling jobs and families it can bring an added headache, but not many people realise unpaid parental leave is an option.
Employment Solicitor and Partner Susan Mayall has a wealth of experience advising both employees and their employers on all aspects of the Employment law. When it comes to holidays it can be a difficult to work around school holidays if a few members of staff need the same weeks. Similarly time off with children unpaid anytime is always an option.
“If you require extra time off for caring for your children unpaid parental leave may be one option for you to discuss with your employer,” said Susan Mayall.
Parental Leave Entitlement
You can take up to 18 weeks of unpaid parental leave per child up until your child’s 18th birthday. However, there are restrictions on how this leave can be taken:
Who is eligible for Parental Leave?
To be eligible for parental leave you must have been employed for at least 1 year with your current employer and you must be the child's parent (biological or adoptive) or have parental responsibility.
You can take up to 4 weeks per child, per year. This leave must be taken in blocks of one week (unless your child has a disability, in which case you can take individual days).
The total leave is capped at 18 weeks per child (e.g., if you have 2 children, you’re entitled to 36 weeks in total).
It must also be remembered that your employer can postpone your leave for up to 6 months however if taking leave at the requested time would disrupt the business (except if you’re taking leave immediately after the birth or adoption of a child).
Unpaid Parental Leave
Whilst on unpaid parental leave your employment rights (e.g., seniority, holiday accrual) are all protected and you cannot be dismissed or treated unfairly for taking parental leave.
You need to give your employer at least 21 days' notice before you take unpaid parental leave.
“Unpaid parental leave is one of a raft of employment law rights available to employees which include maternity and paternity leave, shared parental leave, flexible working requests, time off for attending antenatal appoints with your partner and dependants leave,” advised Susan.
How can we help?
For legal advice on all aspects of employment law including employee rights, contact our employment law solicitors on 0161 785 3500 or email enquiries@pearsonlegal.co.uk.
Subscribe to our newsletterPlease note that the information and opinions contained in this article are not intended to be comprehensive, nor to provide legal advice. No responsibility for its accuracy or correctness is assumed by Pearson Solicitors and Financial Advisers Ltd or any of its members or employees. Professional legal advice should be obtained before taking, or refraining from taking, any action as a result of this article.
