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Original poster

shit! dh not given enough notice for paternity

14 replies

moogs1000 · 01/08/2012 22:27

Hi, dh found out today that he's not given 15 wk notice to work about wanting paternity leave. Only given 8 Wks. Last time he took holidays and we weren't aware of this! So ...what do we do?

Needs time off really to help out with dd and wants to be at home but not sure how this can happen. Help please! Feel so pissed off I didn't know about this! Stupid!

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NagooingForGold · 01/08/2012 22:31

Not giving the correct notice
If you can't give the full notice period to your employer for a valid reason you should still give as much notice as possible. A valid reason might be, for example, if the baby arrives early or the adoption agency doesn't give you long enough notice.
You may still qualify if you meet the other conditions or would have if your baby had not been born early. If there is no valid reason (eg you simply forgot) you will lose your entitlement.

off direct gov site

I guess you can lie and say you only just found about about the baby!

ivanapoo · 01/08/2012 22:32

Has his employer said he can't take it? Can he take it in 15 weeks and take holiday when you give birth?

I think his employer would be v unreasonable not to let him take it th

ivanapoo · 01/08/2012 22:33

That should say "though".

TheBigRazzoo · 02/08/2012 07:29

My husband has not worked long enough at his job (at a large company) to qualify for paternity leave and I am absolutely gutted about it too. He's been so looking forward to having a baby and we don't have much money so even taking the week's unpaid leave they have offered him in lieu of paternity leave will be a struggle financially. Just gutting. He's done about 15 hours unpaid overtime this week too - which is pretty typical - so it's not like they would even be missing out on man hours as he'll easily have racked up 2 weeks worth of overtime by then. Sorry for talking about my own situation - am just really upset about it.

I think your partner's employer would be right bastards not to let him have his paternity leave on a technicality like that. Is it to do with them having to reclaim his pay from the government in a certain timeframe perhaps? Even so, where's the loyalty to a long-serving employee?

MissPollysTrolleyed · 02/08/2012 08:08

Mine hasn't been at his place long enough to get paternity leave either. They have said that they will try to get him some unpaid leave, workloads permitting, but he is really busy. At best, I think he'll do some days working from home, some fully at home and some in the office. I'm trying not to think about it as I have no family or other support so the whole thing is a bit scary and upsetting.

If your DH has been there a long time, are they really going to stick rigidly to the rules? As Razzoo says, that would be pretty rotten.

lilbreeze · 02/08/2012 08:15

Can he take annual leave instead?

OneOfMyTurnsComingOn · 02/08/2012 08:18

My DP has saved up his hols to use instead of pat leave, as it would be unpaid. He has given his annual leave request, and asked that it be flexible. Would his employers accept this?

NeedlesCuties · 02/08/2012 08:24

Same here!

Actually just posted a bit of a rant about it on my ante-natal thread!

DH's boss has him working his usual 12-hour shifts right up to the day I'm due, as well as the usual evening and weekend work too.

She's 'allowed' him to take 2 weeks off when baby is born as a mix of annual leave and unpaid leave. Means he has no more annual leave to use until January (I'm due baby this month).

Is really stress we all could do without :(

mrswee · 02/08/2012 08:41

I'm glad I noticed this. I am almost 24 weeks and have only just got my MATB1 form so have only just sorted it with my own work. If I had not read this then we would have been in danger of making the same mistake as DH always seems to take a few weeks to remember to get important stuff done with his work!!

sparklekitty · 02/08/2012 09:38

That is really rough, and a bit mean. I thought we were hard done by (DH a police office in London so no paternity during olympics, baby due a few days after his olympic shift pattern finishes so in trouble if she arrives early)

Could you give notice now, take annual leave for when you have the baby then take paternity in 15 weeks time?

Original poster
moogs1000 · 02/08/2012 09:40

He only has two days holiday left until Jan so that's no good. I know paternity money is rubbish but better than nothing and its frustrating cos entitled to it! There is somethin called parental leave which he would be entitled to but its unpaid.mrswee glad its helped someone, I didn't even think about it until now. X

OP posts:
CountryKitty · 02/08/2012 09:48

Sorry to hear all the above but it might not be the disaster you think!

With DD1 my Dh couldn't take paternity leave when baby was born as was sitting his professional exams and they're not the kind of thing you can postpone. With DD2 he took the paternity leave and just got under my feet! I think it delays you getting into a routine and confidently managing on your own. This time with DC3 he is determined to take it again, although if truth be told I'd rather he didn't!!

Just read this back and thought I'd better say that I do love my husband very much and have a very happy marriage!! I hope you all get the outcome you want.

minipie · 02/08/2012 11:25

same as mrswee - thanks for posting, I had no idea there were rules about giving notice for paternity leave! Have told DH to get on with it, he only has a couple of weeks left.

elizaregina · 02/08/2012 11:45

According to direct gov site this is true but has he looked at his own companies policy on notice?

With my DH he reckons its only four weeks notice needed....after consulting his companies policies on it.

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