edenred & employees matter webinar - new family friendly rights, addressing the challenges

NEW FAMILY FRIENDLY RIGHTS – ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES

© Renton Associates 2012 2

Webinar Objectives & Signpost

Introduction

What Are The New Challenges?

What Are The New Family Friendly Rights?

Existing Challenges: Problem Clinic

Top Tips & Suggestions

Questions


Existing Challenges – Problem Clinic

• Administration!

• Flexible Working Requests

• Prioritising: Parents v Carers?

• Pregnancy/Maternity Cover

• Additional Paternity Leave

• Associative Discrimination

• Pregnancy

• Disability


Family Friendly Rights: All Change!

March 2013: Parental Leave from 13 to 18 weeks

Autumn 2013 :New Employee Shareholder Status

S 23 Growth & Infrastructure Bill

Waiver of some flexible working rights

Longer Notice Periods for Return following SML/SAL

2014: Right to Request Flexible Working For All Employees

2015: NEW Flexible Parental Leave System

2015: Parental Leave until child aged 18


April 2013: NEW Employee Shareholder Status

S 23 Growth & Infrastructure Bill

Employees receive between £2000 and £50,000 of Employer shares

Waiving:

- Standard Unfair Dismissal rights –Cannot waive protection for Automatic Unfair Dismissal Reasons

- Some flexible working and training rights

- Statutory Redundancy Pay

- Giving longer notice to return from maternity leave or adoption leave

Employee shares will be exempt from Capital Gains Tax

Employer allowed to include a clause in contracts requiring surrender of shares when employee left employment; dismissed; or made redundant.

- buy back at "their unrestricted market value".

No fault dismissals dressed up as the enfranchisement of employees?


2014: Flexible Working Requests For All Employees

Right to Request Flexible Working

– All employees

– Abolition of current statutory procedure

– New Statutory Code of Practice

– Employer Duty to consider “Reasonably” within “Reasonable” time period

– Still 1 request in single 12 month period

– Guidance for Employers

• Prioritising requests


2015: Children And Families Bill

From 2015: Retained Default System

Statutory Maternity Leave (SML)

Up to 52 week period

Pay:

Statutory Maternity/Adoption Pay (SMP/SAP) or

Maternity Allowance (MA)

2 week’s Ordinary Paternity Leave

Qualifying Criteria

BUT Mother can elect to end SML/SMP for NEW

FLEXIBLE PARENTAL LEAVE


NEW: Children And Families Bill

From 2015: NEW Flexible

Parental leave system (FPL)

Abolition of Additional Paternity

Leave

Eligibility/Qualifying Criteria

including:

Earnings Criteria

Service Criteria Each

Parent: 26 Weeks service

by 15th week before EWC

Detail Required

Elected by Mother for Shared FPL

with fathers/ partners

After Compulsory Maternity

Leave

balance of SML/Additional

Paternity Leave & Parental

Leave

Minimum FPL Period: 1 week

with Employer Agreement

No Employer Agreement: Default

position: 1 continuous period of

Leave


NEW: Children And Families Bill

From 2015: New Ante-Natal Appointments System

Pregnant Women: Continued Right to Paid Time Off for Ante-Natal Appointments

Fathers/Partners: Unpaid time off to attend two Ante-Natal Appointments with Partner

Extended to surrogate parents

No Qualifying Conditions

From 2015: Enhanced Adoption Rights

Eligibility criteria and pay rates will mirror “birth parents”

From 2015: New Surrogacy Rights

SAL and SAP and /or FPL &FPP


New Challenges – Problem Clinic

• All Change – Again!

• Administration

• Communication


• Prioritising

• Discrimination

• Occupational Maternity Schemes

• Flexible Working


Addressing the Challenges: Employer Action

START NOW!

Review & Amendment of Employer HR Policies

Flexible Working Policy

Equal Opportunities Policy

Family Friendly Policies

Parental Leave

Maternity Leave

Paternity Leave

Adoption Leave

NEW Surrogacy Leave

Enhanced Maternity/Parental Leave Benefits?

11


Addressing the Challenges: Employer Action

Planning/Administration

Review existing notification processes

Link to Existing Childcare Incentives

Manager Guidance/Training


• Managing off-site workers

• The Opportunities Available

• Dealing with competing requests

• Parents v Older Workers

• Objective criteria

• Flexible Parental Leave Requests


Family friendly benefits

Childcare Voucher Scheme – govt scheme operated through employer that allow employees to pay for childcare from PRE-tax salary

New tax-free childcare scheme announced to launch in autumn 2015

Maternity and Paternity coaching

Informative seminars and webinars on family and eldercare issues

Flexible working/parental leave

Back up care

Opportunity to communicate with staff


Questions?

New Family Friendly Rights – Addressing the Challenges


Renton AssociatesRuth Renton

[email protected]

07977 186 170

edenred & employees matter webinar - new family friendly rights, addressing the challenges

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