HR Update - Employment rules update

Shared parental leave

The right applies to qualifying parents of babies due on or after 5 April 2015. The new right allows:

• the mother to choose to bring her maternity leave to an end any time after the two-week compulsory maternity leave period
• parents to choose how to split the remaining weeks of leave between them
• shared parental leave to be taken by each parent separately or at the same time
• an increase of 'keeping in touch' days to 20, now known as 'shared parental leave In touch'.

Employees can request to take their shared parental leave as discontinuous periods. As part of these changes, the right to additional paternity leave will be removed.

Parental leave is extended

Employees must have at least one year's continuous service to get parental leave (unpaid time off work to look after a child or make arrangements for the child's welfare). From 5 April, it applies to all children under 18.

New right for parents adopting

• Employees who are adopting no longer need 26 weeks' service with their employer to qualify for adoption leave.
• Adopters will also be entitled to paid time off work to attend appointments to have contact with the child they are adopting.
• They can request shared parental leave.

Increase in statutory maternity, adoption and paternity payments

The new payment will be £139.58. This is also the rate employees will receive if they choose to take shared parental leave.

Statutory sick pay

This will be £88.45. Since last April, employers can no longer reclaim statutory sick payments.

Compensation limits

The statutory redundancy pay rate will increase from £464 to £475. This is the maximum weekly amount that can be used for calculating redundancy, or basic awards for unfair dismissal claims. The maximum compensatory award for unfair dismissal increases to £78,335.