Parents of babies born or adopted from Sunday will be able to share parental leave. As employers wrestle with predictions of how many of their workers will take up the new right and whether or not to enhance shared parental pay, here is a round-up of recent news and expert views on SPL.
Features
From April new rules will allow parents to share work leave and payments previously only available to mothers, but are employers ready? Gabriella józwiak looks at the issue of enhanced pay and finds businesses are taking baby steps towards family-friendly flexibility
Shared parental leave: are you ready? (December 2014)
Today, regulations on Shared Parental Leave (SPL) come into force, but are employers ready to handle requests from the workforce? Flexible Boss seeks expert advice for those concerned about SPL or still finalising how they will handle the new right.
Culture change: shared parental leave and fatherhood (October 2015)
Some employers have been guilty of a head in the sand approach to the introduction of Shared Parental Leave rules. As the clock ticks towards the 5th April deadline, Gabriella Józwiak takes a look at the issues of pay and equality they need to tackle.
Expert opinion
Practising ‘people shaped working
The introduction of shared parental leave this month is another signal of the move to more family-friendly, ‘people-shaped’ working, says Employees Matter MD Zoe Sinclair.
Shared parental leave: making it work
Tracey Eker, founder and CEO of flexible working job site Flexiworkforce.com, outlines the implications of shared parental leave for employers and considers how they can best prepare.
Complexity of shared parental leave: case analysis
Amanda Jones, partner at law firm Maclay Murray & Spens, reflects on September’s shared parental leave case in the Spanish courts as the UK government publishes its own draft regulations.
Mary Clarke, employment partner at law firm DLA Piper, examines the draft regulations for shared parental leave and finds them complex for both employers and employees to manage.
News
Employers floundering on SPL: Days before shared parental leave (SPL) comes into effect, research suggests the majority of employers will not be enhancing shared parental pay above the statutory minimum, though some have still not decided their approach.
Employers to adapt maternity over SPL: Over three quarters of employers welcome shared parental leave and many are considering adapting their maternity packages as a consequence, despite concerns over the complexity of the legislation.
Government SPL estimate ‘too low’: Government has drastically underestimated interest in shared parental leave, according to research by law firm Linklaters.
Employers step forward on SPL enhancement: Employers Deloitte, PwC and Shell have been the first to confirm they will be enhancing parental pay for all employees when shared parental leave takes effect next April.
Acas publishes shared parental leave guide: Workplace expert Acas has published a guide to shared parental leave (SPL) in a bid to prepare employers and staff for the new legislation.
Employers ‘not ready’ for SPL: Many employers are not ready for shared parental leave (SPL), despite the rules coming into force on 1 December, a report by human capital management expert ADP has said.
Women prepared to share leave: The number of women who said they would consider sharing their maternity leave with their partner has risen by 3% to 44%, according to an annual survey of working parents.
Bosses should not be caught napping on SPL: Employers need to get ready for shared parental leave (SPL) now, lawyers have cautioned.
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