If you have children - you have a statutory right, since 6 April 2009, to apply to work flexibly if you have a child under the age of 16 or a disabled child under 18. The father, mother or guardian of the child may apply. If you are a carer for an adult relative, spouse, civil partner or an adult you share an address with, you may also be eligible to apply. There is a requirement that you have must have worked for your employer for 26 weeks continuously before applying. Your employer must consider the request seriously and agree to a change unless they can demonstrate that it would adversely affect the business or incur unreasonable expense. Pregnant women - have an entitlement to one year’s maternity leave in total and may qualify for up to 39 weeks’ Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), although many employers operate schemes with better remuneration. Paid leave is allowed for antenatal appointments. There is a timescale that must be followed and your HR department will supply the details. If you work for a firm employing fewer than five people, it is important to seek advice. Adoption - there is an entitlement of 26 weeks’ Statutory Adoption Leave (SAL) and Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP), plus 26 weeks’ Additional Adoption Leave (AAL). Paternity leave - is currently one or two consecutive weeks’ leave, which must be agreed in advance. You may be eligible for Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP). There are plans (date unknown) to introduce an entitlement to a maximum of 26 weeks’ Additional Paternity Leave (APL). Parental Leave - is available to employees with at least one year’s service with their employer. The entitlement is to 13 weeks’ unpaid leave for each child up to the age of five. Parents of a disabled child can take up to 18 weeks up to the child’s 18th birthday. Emergencies - Employees are also entitled to reasonable time off without pay to deal with unforeseen emergencies. The employer decides what is ‘reasonable’. Career breaks and sabbaticals - are at the discretion of the individual employer. There is no legal requirement to offer them. Further information is available from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), and visit Working Families and the Employment pages at Directgov. These sites include interactive tools. It is important to remember that even if you have a statutory right to apply, a degree of negotiation may be necessary and desirable.
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