KIT Payment

[meggles]

I'm getting conflicting advice from work, internet, friends, etc...
Do I get paid for KIT days?

You can get paid for them without losing SMP. Whether you do get paid, and how much, or whether you do them at all, is negotiable between you and your employer. They don't have to pay you but you don't have to work them so if they are saying they won't pay KIT days, I'd suggest refusing to work them.

My KIT thus far have been work meetings to discuss potential positions to go into after I return from Mat Leave. I was naive in thinking KIT would be paid, as all of my ante-natal friends are paid their daily rate for them. Stupid me.

I've agreed to do another one tomorrow.

However, I will tell them that I won't have any more meetings unless I'm paid. Especially as I've need to arrange childcare for them...

Ah well that's possibly the problem. Many employers wouldn't automatically consider meetings to discuss the employee's return to work as being KIT days. Do they know you consider them to be KIT days and refuse to pay, or do they just think you're coming in to discuss your return to work?

Are these meetings necessary because you've requested a change to your hours or role on your return, or for some other reason?

Thanks - no they def consider them 'KIT' days. I've informed HR, and they've noted them down as such. After I questioned not getting paid, HR has now gone away and is 'thinking' about paying me, but only for the length of the meeting (ie 1 hour) instead of the whole day. Better than nothing.

I need to have these meetings as I'm a project manager. My project ended before i left, so I now need to find a new position within the company...

So far, what they're offering isn't going to work with a kid... (my previous position was: Monday & Friday work from home. Tuesday-Thursday drive seventy miles and spend Tuesday & Wed night away. I don't think that's possible for a 13 month old... )

We keep discussing...

Where is your manager in all this?! It shouldn't be a case of HR 'thinking about' whether to pay you, it should be a case of your manager informing them to pay you and how much. Speaking as an HR person, HR are not in charge. Their role would be to advise your manager/you on what the law says about KIT days, and what current practice/internal policy is.

Are they offering you a role on the same basis as before and you are trying to negotiate a change to your working pattern?

the problem is that i'm the first person to go on Mat leave at my company in 10+ years. My manager is asking the HR person for advice re: payment for KIT days. There doesn't seem to be any presecdence for what/how much to pay for KIT days.

They're offering me a roll with different working place (ie they want me to work from two other offices, one of which is considerably further). However, even if they offered me the same hours/place of work again, I'm not sure I could take it. being away 2 nights a week may not work.