Top 10 HR questions in December 2014: Reasonable adjustments and bank holidays

How far do employers have to go when making reasonable adjustments for disabled employees? This was the subject of some of the most popular FAQs on XpertHR in December, along with more FAQs on the HR topic that is set to dominate 2015 – shared parental leave and pay.

The festive season meant that bank holidays were front of mind last month, particularly in relation to part-time and shift workers. Employees’ rights on returning from maternity leave also featured in the top 10 FAQs.

1. How will shared parental leave operate?

2. Under the shared parental leave rules, can both parents have a period back at work at the same time, before taking further periods of leave, or does at least one parent have to remain on leave?

3. Are agency workers entitled to shared parental leave and pay?

4. Does an employer have to continue paying a disabled employee full pay as a reasonable adjustment when he or she is off work sick?

5. If an employee submits three separate notices requesting three separate periods of shared parental leave, can the employer refuse the requests?

6. Do employees who will become the legal parents of a child under a surrogacy arrangement have access to any family-friendly rights?

7. If an employer offers a disabled employee reduced hours as a reasonable adjustment, can it reduce the employee’s pay accordingly?

8. Could an employee with an illness that comes and goes, such as depression, be covered by the Equality Act 2010?

9. If a part-time or shift-working employee is not scheduled to work on a bank holiday, is he or she entitled to an additional day’s holiday?

10. Does an employee have the right to return to the same job after maternity leave?