Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

MaternityPaternityEmployment lawHR practice

Maternity leave overhaul receives cautious welcome

by John Eccleston 17 Jan 2011
by John Eccleston 17 Jan 2011

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has extended a “cautious welcome” to the Government’s proposals to overhaul the maternity leave system.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg today outlined the plans, which were originally proposed by the previous Government. Under these plans, a father will be able take any remaining unpaid maternity leave should his partner choose to return to work early.

Describing current paternity leave rules as “Edwardian”, Clegg added that the Government was planning to consult on a “properly flexible” system of shared parental leave to be introduced in 2015.

Clegg also pledged to work closely with business to ensure that any changes are sustainable and affordable.

Mike Emmott, employee relations adviser at the CIPD, responded to the proposals by pointing to the potential uncertainty arising from the changes: “We will wait to see the detail of how employers will be affected and clearly there will be problems extending the existing entitlement to paternity leave in a way that doesn’t increase uncertainty for employers.

“Take-up of additional paternity leave by fathers will depend partly on the level of paternity pay, and partly on changing social attitudes. The number of people taking advantage of existing paternity leave is low, so the Deputy Prime Minister is right to say we need an accompanying culture shift to drive take-up.”

Emmott added that the proposals should help to reduce discrimination, saying: “If men and women have similar entitlements to leave following the birth of a child, this should go a long way to relieving employers of these concerns. And this can only reduce the likelihood that women will be discriminated against when they apply for jobs, or for promotion.

“The broad direction of travel is right – the UK needs to move towards a system of parental leave which gives mothers and fathers similar opportunities to take responsibility for childcare,” he concluded.

Take part in the XpertHR maternity pay survey and receive a free copy of the findings, containing details on:



  • enhancements employers make to maternity pay;
  • additional paternity leave and pay;
  • annual leave and pension considerations; and
  • bonuses and keeping-in-touch days.







XpertHR FAQs on maternity leave



  • How does an employer determine an employee’s right to statutory maternity pay?
  • How is statutory maternity pay calculated?
  • Does a period of maternity leave break continuity of service?
  • If a woman intends to return early from maternity leave is she required to inform her employer?
  • Does an employee have the right to return to the same job after maternity leave?
  • Is an employer obliged to carry out an individual risk assessment for all new mothers returning to work from maternity leave?

Avatar
John Eccleston

previous post
How much is workplace conflict costing UK companies?
next post
Government’s first priority to protect public sector jobs, says David Cameron

You may also like

EU member states to make carer work-life balance...

5 Aug 2022

HMRC looking to recoup £1.4bn from businesses’ use...

1 Aug 2022

Ministers release guidance to clarify UK employment status...

28 Jul 2022

Underpayment not reported due to ‘fear and insecurity’

25 Jul 2022

Supreme Court: Holiday pay for part-year staff should...

20 Jul 2022

Paid neonatal leave bill receives government backing

15 Jul 2022

Frasers Group scraps Friday working from home policy

15 Jul 2022

The risks of sexual harassment in the metaverse

14 Jul 2022

One in nine UK workers is in insecure...

12 Jul 2022

Should employers pay for restrictive covenants?

8 Jul 2022
  • 6 reasons why work-based learning is better than traditional training PROMOTED | A recent Fortune/Deloitte survey found that 71% of CEOs are anticipating that this year’s biggest business disrupter...Read more
  • Strengthening Scotland’s public services through virtual recruiting PROMOTED | This website is Scotland's go-to place for job seekers looking to apply for roles in public services...Read more
  • What’s next for L&D? Enter Alchemist… PROMOTED | It’s time to turn off the tedious and get ready for interactive and immersive learning experiences...Read more
  • Simple mistakes are blighting the onboarding experience PROMOTED | The onboarding of new hires is a company’s best chance...Read more
  • Preventing Burnout: How can HR help key workers get the right help? PROMOTED | Workplace wellbeing may seem a distant memory...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+