Unpaid parental leave

[MsAnnFrope]

Can a company turn down a request for COVID related unpaid parental leave? Not postpone it but actually refuse it?

So you mean if you or someone in your household has to self isolate? I imagine not.

They can delay it but not outright refuse it. You need to give the required notice to take it

www.gov.uk/parental-leave/delaying-leave

21 days notice required for parental leave. If its covid related then I assume you wouldn't be able to give notice. They are not obliged to allow time off for a child that is isolating.

It was in early summer when schools were closed and both DH and I were working from
Home and Jess st mental breaking point.I had it flat refused as “the work would still be there”... I’m deciding whether to pursue a complaint against the manager who refused it. This is the same manager who refused a reasonable adjustment for a disclosed mental health disability as “we don’t allow people at your grade to do that”. Sigh.

I gave 21 days notice. I would have been happy to give more. My mental health just crumbled in the end.

Is this for childcare because schools has closed? Our HR advice is that unpaid leave should be granted for emergency childcare but this would be expected to be no more than one day while other arrangements are made.

The reality is we are allowing people to take what they need, in practice how do you arrange alternative childcare for an isolating child?

You may be thinking of time off for dependent children but that's more for short term emergency care rather than more longer term

www.gov.uk/time-off-for-dependants

They were wrong the as you gave correct notice. As the link said it can be delayed but not refused

No we were allowed time off for dependents and carers leave for emergencies. I asked for unpaid parental leave, a policy which was promoted by my organisation, and was told no. Another colleague was allowed to take it. I’m still furious.

@BecomeStronger Unpaid parental leave is different to unpaid emergency leave- www.gov.uk/parental-leave/entitlement

Don't bother with pursuing the complaint. It's in the past - it happened back in the summer, and your time to complain was back then (and point out that they cannot decline, they can only re-scheduled it). Unless it forms part of a portfolio of complaints, raising an isolated incident after months looks like sour grapes and would only harm any chance of a working relationship in the future. It wouldn't hurt them, only you.

Thank @dementedpixie I did make a formal
Application but when I asked via line manager to our big boss, they told me I couldn’t even apply as they wouldn’t grant it.

That's awful and yes I would complain. They can't say no outright

@EggysMom I didn’t realise in summer that what they did isn’t allowed. It is as you can see from my OP part of a larger complaint about the awful attitude of big boss and line manager to the well-being of staff.
But I take your point about the ongoing working relationship

[quote CatToddlerUprising]@BecomeStronger Unpaid parental leave is different to unpaid emergency leave- www.gov.uk/parental-leave/entitlement[/quote]
Yes, I crossed with the OP's update

What outcome are you looking for? It sounds like they didn't handle your request correctly, in that they should have postponed it, if allowing you to take it would cause disruption to the business. Would you like an apology, or for them to offer new a new date for leave?

On what you've said, you could have taken sickness leave, self certified for the first week and with a fit note from your GP after that.

@Hayeahnobut I currently off sick which I feel like I was driven too by management. Good point, what do I want? I guess an apology and admission that they were in the wrong. Currently I look like the bad one for being off sick and my sickness record (off for 6 weeks) means I can’t think about moving jobs.

Is it actually illegal to refuse or just poor practice? I’m trying to work out next steps.