Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Shared Parental Leave and Parental Leave – what do you think and know? Chance to win £100! NOW CLOSED

AnnMumsnet · 2016-04-04T11:24:22+00:00

As part of the [[http://www.mumsnet.com/family-friendly Mumsnet Family Friendly Programme]] we'd love to know what you think about these new employee benefits which have been introduced in the last few years. You can read about them below - please share on this thread your experience of them and your thoughts on them. Have you taken them up? Do you think you would? Have you heard of Parental Leave? How do you think employers feel about them? Has your employer promoted them to you/ employees? Has your partners company promoted them? All comments welcome! *Shared Parental Leave* - this is for new parents and is designed to give greater flexibility around the first year with a new baby Government info [[https://www.gov.uk/shared-parental-leave-and-pay/overview here]] ACAS guide [[http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/1/c/Shared-Parental-Leave-a-good-practice-guide-for-employers-and-employees.pdf here]] *Parental Leave* - this is unpaid leave for parents to take care of a child's welfare - employees are entitled to 18 weeks’ leave for each child and adopted child, up to their 18th birthday with their job protected Government info [[https://www.gov.uk/parental-leave/overview here]] ACAS guide [[http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1637 here]] Both are obviously subject to specific terms. Add your view and you'll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £100 voucher for the store of their choice. Click [[http://www.mumsnet.com/family-friendly/hall-of-fame-2015 here]] to learn more about companies who are working to make the UK a more family friendly place Thanks and good luck MNHQ [[http://www.mumsnet.com/pdf/terms-and-conditions-for-survey-prize-draws-v3.pdf Standard Insight T&C apply]]

301 replies

AnnMumsnet · 04/04/2016 12:24

As part of the Mumsnet Family Friendly Programme we'd love to know what you think about these new employee benefits which have been introduced in the last few years.

You can read about them below - please share on this thread your experience of them and your thoughts on them. Have you taken them up? Do you think you would? Have you heard of Parental Leave? How do you think employers feel about them? Has your employer promoted them to you/ employees? Has your partners company promoted them?

All comments welcome!

Shared Parental Leave - this is for new parents and is designed to give greater flexibility around the first year with a new baby
Government info here
ACAS guide here

Parental Leave - this is unpaid leave for parents to take care of a child's welfare - employees are entitled to 18 weeks’ leave for each child and adopted child, up to their 18th birthday with their job protected
Government info here
ACAS guide here

Both are obviously subject to specific terms.

Add your view and you'll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £100 voucher for the store of their choice.

Click here to learn more about companies who are working to make the UK a more family friendly place

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&C apply

Shared Parental Leave and Parental Leave – what do you think and know? Chance to win £100! NOW CLOSED

OP posts:

tabbaz123 · 10/04/2016 16:08

I really think the options should be there and then the individual families decide! There is no right or wrong it is whatever works best for you and your baby/babies x

tiddles12 · 10/04/2016 16:09

Parental leave per se has been very useful for childhood emergencies but shared parental leave never works as children always want their mummies

rachelmi · 10/04/2016 16:24

I think the more options to better to allow parents to share the time needed to raise a young family is great. It was always assumed that women would take on all the responsibility but I'm sure now many dads would love to be more hands on and a flexible shared approach would be such a good step.

MAForster · 10/04/2016 16:48

Sounds like a big improvement on when I had my children!

JoJoBaldwin · 10/04/2016 17:09

I think both are great ideas but won't suit everyone. Really helpful in households where the mother is in a higher paid job than her partner and it would make more sense for him to take time off.

SaltySeaBird · 10/04/2016 17:27

We've been discussing it today and as much as we are desperate to use it there is no financial way we can due to inequality in the packages offered to men and women.

Women 6 months full / 6 months 50% pay. Men statutory pay only at my husbands workplace.

RedToothBrush · 10/04/2016 17:43

Red, I'm sorry you had trouble with breastfeeding. I do understand that it can be challenging for many women. But SPL isn't being forced on anybody. It's a choice. I don't see how it's different to somebody deciding (due to the pay cut) that they would only take 6 months ML and then realising that they needed more time to establish breastfeeding.

This is not the kind of thing you can plan before the birth and SPL doesn't change that.

SPL changes the situation. You are adding another company into the mix and therefore the stress if plans do change. Its not something that can be done easily. Its hard enough if there is just your own job to consider.

Plus it also puts pressure on a relationship. If you have agreed with your partner one thing and then found yourself in a position where the goal posts moved and have to tell your partner who had geared themselves up to taking the time off, that actually you didn't want to anymore that could well create problems. Even with the most understanding partner as you yourself feel guilt about 'taking their time'. There would be more pressure to 'sort out the feeding' by the deadline rather than change your work plans.

As I say, I think its a great idea, but I think in the context of promoting it there should be a section about 'what if things turn out differ to my plans' to prepare couples and to stop businesses being difficult if couples do change their plans.

amanda08 · 10/04/2016 17:54

When DS was born, we would not have been able to manage on reduced wages and sadly my husbands boss was not very enlightened! In theory its a great idea but so often circumstances will not allow

poxx · 10/04/2016 17:59

Great idea but in practice it doesnt work, not many would be able to afford it,i am sorry but in most cases the person who is paid the most will need to be back at work to pay for all the extras that are needed with a newborn,parental leave doesnt pay the bills.

julieef · 10/04/2016 18:02

Good idea, gives fathers time to bond with their newborns

vixxx666 · 10/04/2016 18:09

Unfortunately my two were born before shared parental leave and I only got help from their dad for 2 weeks and then I was on my own full time. Thing is...different things work for different families, there needs to be more options and more flexibility!

Ikea1234 · 10/04/2016 18:42

Shared definitely! Why should I get all those smelly happiest?!😉

Ikea1234 · 10/04/2016 18:43

Shared definitely ! Why should I get all the smelly nappies?!

arat · 10/04/2016 18:58

I like the idea of both of these - the more flexibility the better.

I accept that the majority won't use these options, but for those who would use it, it could make a huge difference.

compy99 · 10/04/2016 19:20

I think it is good to have as an option, it will suit some couples but not others, at least having a choice throws open something to consider.

Spencer1234 · 10/04/2016 19:56

I think it's a great idea!! Why should only one parent get to spend quality time with their child. My husband wasn't able to take any paternity leave because we couldn't afford him to take the cut in the pay as well as me but I know he would have loved to.

Dencop · 10/04/2016 20:46

I think that it's a fantastic idea and will work for a lot of parents, I also think it's fantastic that it's a choice each couple can make to suit their own circumstances

sarah861421 · 10/04/2016 20:47

it sounds wonderful, but in practice it wont work to share, I know a lot of v good house husband / full time fathers, but I think it has to be one person or the other

hann24 · 10/04/2016 21:01

Shared parental leave is great as it encourages both parents to take responsibility for the baby, would be great if there was some way to make it more affordable though!

pfcpompeysarah · 10/04/2016 21:07

I like the idea of parental leave but would be concerned about how I would cope financially without an income... as to shared parental leave when a baby comes along, I think its a great idea in theory and clearly works for some but I would not have wanted to leave my baby in the hands of my now ex for a long period of time, I think its a time when a mother should be bonding with her newborn baby and the mother is more equipped for this stage of development i.e. for breastfeeding and so on, and I personally don't think many men would want to give up work for a period of time to look after a baby, most I know would rather leave that to their other halves and get peace while at work!!

It should be the case that men are able to look after a young baby if their situation requires it but I think some men would feel uncomfortable with the responsibility of handling a baby for 8+ hours a day, also they would be reluctant to reduce their income for the period of their leave.

buckley1983 · 10/04/2016 21:20

I think it's fantastic to have the option of shared parental leave. I remember talking about this with my husband before LO was born - at that time, I was willing to go 50/50 (he wasn't so keen though!) - but after the birth, there was no way I was giving up my time with LO! Fortunately, my other half felt the same way - although don't get me wrong - he loves our son to bits, he as just terrified of lone-parenting! :) Parental leave is an interesting one - I can't see I would have a need to use it that much, but it sounds a useful things to have if it's neede. I would worry about the impact it would have on my colleagues though & the reception I would receive on my return. All the things it covered (spending time with family, looking at schools, etc) I would book A/L to cover, or do over weekends.

moneypenny66 · 10/04/2016 21:25

I think it's a great idea for parents, although I would imagine it's a bit of a headache for small businesses to implement. But anything that encourages both mums and dads to be involved in their childrens lives when they are young has to be a good thing.

shivbrown · 10/04/2016 21:27

I think Shared Parental Leave is a fantastic idea and gives both parents quality time with your new baby :)

littleme96 · 10/04/2016 21:27

It is certainly a step in the right direction and even if people don't take up the offer of shared parental leave or parental leave, it is great that the option is there for those who really need or want it.

In our case, employer's attitudes are the problem - even for things like asking for flexible working, the request is pretty much dismissed without them even trying to look into if it would work or not. I would imagine this is managed better in bigger companies.

shawbarbara · 10/04/2016 21:29

I think this is a great scheme, the fact that it can be taken up to the child being 18 is brilliant

Flip

1 2 ··· 6 7 8 ··· 12 13