Family-friendly working
Employees have a number of fundamental family-friendly rights in the workplace. These include the right to maternity leave, paternity leave, and adoption leave. Shared parental leave is available to parents of children due on or after 5 April 2015, and adopters where the child is placed for adoption on or after 5 April 2015. Ordinary parental leave is a type of unpaid leave that can be taken until the child’s 18th birthday.
From 30 June 2015, the right to request flexible working was extended to all employees with 26 weeks’ qualifying service. Prior to this date, it was available to parents of young children and carers. All employees are also entitled to take a reasonable amount of time off work “to take action which is necessary” in relation to the care of certain dependants.
Working mothers increase by almost 50% over 40 years
The proportion of working-age mothers in paid work increased by almost 50% over four decades, according to the Institute of...
Working fathers failed by Government policy
Policies designed to help fathers in the workplace need reforming if Government is to meet the needs of 21st century...
Why fatherhood holds the key to solving the gender pay gap
The introduction of gender pay gap reporting has shifted the onus of responsibility for solving the gender pay gap to...
Half of top 50 worst gender pay gaps are in school academies
Twenty three of the 50 organisations with the largest gender pay gaps so far are school academies or multi-academy trusts,...
Winter weather and work: five common employer queries
With parts of the UK experiencing heavy snowfall, we answer five common questions from employers on the workplace impact of...
Government launches shared parental leave campaign after just 2% take-up
The Government has launched a campaign to promote shared parental...
Why supporting all carers benefits men, women and business
Recent research showing how women and men continue to struggle to achieve the right balance between their work and family...
Pregnant women and new mothers need more legal protection
A charity has called for greater legal protections for new mothers, claiming the Government has failed to act on the...
Scottish districts top ranking for women to work and live
Two Scottish local authorities have emerged as the best places for women to live and work in, according to a...
Acas study urges higher take-up of flexible working
A report published today by Acas calls for more flexible working for parents returning to work after parental leave as...
Bill for paid parental bereavement leave is launched
Parents who have suffered the death of a child will receive statutory paid leave to grieve, under a new law...
Family-friendly rights: a whistle-stop tour
Shared parental leave has been in the press again of late, with a new father winning a sex discrimination claim...
Are fathers’ rights at work working?
Despite the introduction of shared parental leave, employers have been slow to enhance fathers’ rights at work. John Smith, a...
Tory manifesto: National retraining, NI holidays and more gap reporting
Theresa May launched the Conservative Party’s 2017 election manifesto today, and for HR and employers there are no big surprises....
Liberal Democrat manifesto: guarantees for EU workers and stricter corporate governance
The Liberal Democrat Party’s official manifesto has been released today and includes a raft of proposals around employment rights, equality...
