Sharing parental leave

Employers have been urged to prepare for new shared parental leave rights that came into force this week.

The new rights allow couples to share maternity or adoption leave and pay from 5 April 2015. A pregnant woman will still have access to 52 weeks of maternity leave and 39 weeks of pay, but will be able to share the leave with her partner. One key change is that the leave can be taken in several blocks.

Acas has produced a step-by-step guide to the new leave rights, including how eligible employees can notify their employer on their intention to take leave and advice for employers on how to deal fairly with requests.

Acas head of guidance, Stewart Gee, says: “We advise employers and employees to start having early discussions to ensure that they can agree the sort of arrangements which work best for business and working families.”