Working Keeping in Touch days overseas

[birdyperson]

I'll be going on maternity leave soon and I have an important business trip to make overseas (and outside the EU) several months in. My manager is happy that I can make the trip and work using keeping in touch days and then return to maternity leave afterwards. Human Resources, however, seem to think I can't. I can't find anything in the legislation, or our company policy, which dictates what you use KIT days for or where you work them.

I wondered if:

a) anyone out there has worked KIT days overseas (so I know that other companies are able to deal with this - I wonder if HR just have a problem with it because they're not used to it, as my department is male-dominated and last time I went on maternity leave I was the first person in my department to do so for 20 years!).
b) if anyone knows of a legal reason why it's not possible to do so.

Would be v grateful for any answers to the two above questions. I've agonised long and hard about doing this. I'd obviously would prefer not to leave my DCs, although they'll be fine with DH, but am trying to balance a business need with DCs' needs and this seems to be the best way, so it would be annoying if it gets blocked for no apparent reason.

TIA

What's their reason for thinking the government dictate what people do during their KIT days? How weird!

KIT days are there to allow your employer to pay you for up to 10 days work without you losing your SMP. There's nothing saying 'if you are paid for work in this country you don't lose SMP but if you are paid for work done elsewhere you lose it', that would be daft.

Plus, what has it got to do with HR what you are doing? Do they have a problem with you going overseas at all, or the fact that you are doing so in your maternity leave?

Your manager should be dealing with this, not you. He/she should be informing HR (not asking) that you will be working x number of KIT days and requesting that they ensure you are paid the appropriate amount, simple as that.

What about the expenses?

"KIT days are there to allow your employer to pay you for up to 10 days work without you losing your SMP"

They are there primarily so that the employee can keep in touch with what is going on in the place of work, not just so that they can get paid.

The fact is that the employee can get paid, but the purpose is about keeping in touch with the employer.

Yes, fine. My point is the issue is about pay, the original purpose of KIT days makes no difference to this, the legislation bit is about allowing employees to get paid without losing SMP. The OP's HR department seem to think there is a legal restriction on what KIT days can be used for, my point was that the only legalities are around pay.

I'm sure the OP understood that.

Fair comment. Flowery

My point, though, was that doing some work overseas doesn't really count as keeping in touch, does it? So I can kind of see the logic of the HR department.

There are no restrictions though. Yes the idea is to enable women to keep in touch and involved, lots of people use them to attend team meetings or training or similar. But also lots use them to just keep their hand in a bit, just doing some work stuff, and regardless of what the government thought women would/should use them for, the bottom line is they didn't put restrictions on it - it would be impossible to police for a start, and employment law just doesn't get quite that prescriptive.

I do find it weird of the HR dept. Are they saying there are restrictions in an attempt to prevent the OP going overseas or just mistakenly warning that she can't get paid if she does?

Thanks v much to everyone for your replies. My HR department did make hairytriangle's point that keeping in touch days are for keeping in touch with your work place and colleagues. The trip would be to one of my work places and I would be working with several of my colleagues, some of who are based out there, so it is keeping in touch with something I'm working on. I appreciate this is a bit unusual, but it's simply the nature of what I do for a living.

Thanks v much flowerybeanbag for your advice and for clarifying what KIT days can be used for - v useful.

Oh, forgot to answer your question, flowery - HR seem to have a problem with my going overseas whilst on maternity leave, because they think that keeping in touch with colleagues overseas doesn't count as 'keeping in touch'. I can go and see them at other times though! I agree - it is weird. Glad it isn't just me who thinks that!