A clear parental leave policy sets out the types of leave and pay available, how to apply, and what you can expect.
What parental leave is available to you by law?
- Maternity, adoption, paternity, shared parental leave
- Unpaid parental leave
- Statutory pay (see above links for details)
Your employer may enhance statutory leave and pay if they are able to but not every SME organisation can afford to do this.
If that is the case, there are other ways that your employer may be able to help.
Supportive Practices: What can you do to help your employer?
Here are some insights from SME employees and employers that we spoke to:
- Starting conversations early. Flag concerns about finances, childcare or return to work to support planning – some employers may not be aware about everything you are juggling. (Point them to our employers toolkit too!)
Many employers are more supportive than employees expect.
“It wasn’t… a combative discussion… it was immediately like, yes of course, that sounds very reasonable.” (Julia – SME Employer, 50-249 staff)
- Check what policies and support might already be available. You may be entitled to more support than you realise.
“We’ve got policies which are easily accessible. But …we could be more explicit in how we can help in that respect” (Nisha – SME Employer, 10-49 staff)
- Connect with others at work. Colleagues who have taken leave or are juggling childcare can be a valuable source of advice and reassurance.
“…even saying there are other mums [or dads] in the team who have been through it, and you can talk to them about their experience…But also saying…come to us if we can help plan finances, plan your leave” (Nisha – SME Employer, 10-49 staff)
- Ask about flexibility. This could include flexible hours and/or a phased return after leave.
“The most positive thing that we have is that we are very flexible as an organisation.” (Francis – SME Employer, 10-49 staff)
- Keeping in touch days during leave are a way for you to stay connected during leave (if you want to). You could ask about this and whether there are other ways that could support a return to work:
“When I was pregnant, we used it as an opportunity to shape it around what we thought might work for me…what it might be like with me coming back. So, we wrote some thoughts about what that might look like in terms of keeping in touch days but also having a buddy…for when you came back to bring you up to speed with the company and everything that’s been going on’ (Clarissa – Employee in SME with 10-49 employees)
Remember – supporting staff is in the employer’s best interests!
Business benefits include:
- Better engagement, work performance and productivity from staff
“It helps performance… people knowing that their work-life balance [and] family balance is respected makes you want to work better for the business” (Nisha – SME Employer, 10-49 staff)
- Having a happy and committed workforce!
“There’s value in being somewhere where you are appreciated, you’re happy, they look after you” (Peter – Employee in SME with 10-49 staff)
