Notice to your boss

[drsholmes]

Hi, I have matching panel mid October. My adoption leave policy and hmrc's adoption pay document say notify work within 7 days of a match, and they need 28days in order to be paid statutory adoption pay. Yet they then say adoption leave can start no later than placement date.

So this leaves me in a pickle before I'll only have 14days before placement date after my matching panel? Which is the norm, so why put 28 days.

Have people been officially notifying (with the form) before matching panel?

That's what I did. I had MP on Wednesday, last day of work Friday, ratification, planning meeting and first day of intros on the Monday.

I gave notice a month before MP but explained in a covering email that nothing was certain until the MP's decision had been ratified.

To be fair my team all knew about my plans after I was linked (we are close and I would have needed some time off/ understanding in the unlikely event that the match didn't go ahead).

Isn't there a statement saying 'if possible' in there somewhere? I'm sure there was when we adopted 10 years ago.

We did the same, we informally notified work when we had the date of MP, and then again after MP, but couldn't formally notify until after ratification.

I went on leave a week before intros started, 1 week after MP. DH used a mixture of flexible working and leave for most of intros and then took the 2 weeks paternity after placement.

I was pretty sure that we would start a week on Monday, after a panel (panel was Wednesday so about 10 days). I just put it on the form but said it was subject to change. Do you have any annual leave you can use to give a bit more time for stat to kick in.

Can I also ask how your boss took it? Mine doesn't know at all. My line manager does, but not my boss. And he's not very supportive at all :(

I told my immediate boss earlier this week, but not the Director of the team who I will be having my usual 1-2-1 with next week. Thought he would take it badly as have only been in his team for a year and our relationship is not as great as it used to be but he was very supportive and said not to worry about a thing. As we are not due to go to Panel until end November, will do formal notifications soon with the proviso that actual dates won't be known until after that. Will also tell the team when we are all together at the end of the month so we can start preparing.

It was a weight off my mind not helped that husband was getting lots of help and support from his HT.

How have you got on @Drholmes?I'm in the same position same rules.

I've told my line manager so at least he has a month notice, but I still haven't told the manager because the policy says line manager, not him, and because he is horrible

Good luck @drsholmes. I know it's not ideal but could you leave it for your Line Manager to tell him?

Yes I think will, he is truly awful 😢