I am considering requesting 'parental leave' in my new NHS job...

[beansontoast]

but
i dont have twelve months continuous service.

i am inclined to try anyway as a)they are pretty desperate to fill this vacancy ,and struggling to at the same time,and b) i need it!

would i have a leg to stand on?

has anyone ever convinced HR to do them this sort of favour?

no idea how to approach this?...do i attempt to bargain with them.

I don't think it has to be continual here it says "have been employed by the same company for a year or more" - does that mean continual?

So long as they don't have a problem and you don't mind losing pay for the days you take then hopefully they will be sympathetic.

beanieb 'employed by the same company for a year or more' is continuous service.

How long have you worked there then beansontoast? How much leave do you want to take? I don't think I understand your comments about them being desperate to fill this vacancy and struggling to at the same time, not sure what that means.

If you haven't worked there a year it's not a case of having a leg to stand on, it's a case of making your request for some unpaid leave and seeing what they say. Wouldn't you be approaching your own manager first rather than 'convincing' HR?

agree that its your manager you need to convince and not HR - usually managers will have discretion over requesting leave like this. If you don't get parental leave could you use carers leave? Worth looking in more details at your orgs particular policies

have you started the job yet? if so how long for, I was given 3 weeks parental leave after being in post for 5 months even though I wasn't entitled to it at that point,(paid) as you know you get 4 weeks paid in nhs now(in scotland anyway)

I had full four weeks as had no childcare for ds and it was over xmas/new year.

I didnt ask for it, I was actually on sick leave before it(again due to childcare) and was going to have to go onto half/no pay over xmas and my manager sorted the favour of the leave out, I guess they took the gamble that I would be in the post for at least the 12 months so they just gave it to me a bit early as they knew I would have used the leave up at some point anyway, just meant I used it all up at once

so yes I do have experience of them giving it to you before the 12 months

meant to say 4 weeks parental leave woops

thanks everyone....i sort of expected this to be unanswered!

beanieb. if i had worked for the nhs before ,for 12 months then i would qualify even if there had been a break in service.

flowerybeanbag.
sorry i wasnt atall clear! there were three vacancies and so far they have only filled one post(despite interviewing and offering)

right, so i convince my manager first,that's good to know.(see how little idea i have!)

ill look into that thanks lal123

thats good to hear nicsnigsnags (?)

any tips on how to raise it? i tend to not be very assertive and understate things that are really important

and no,i havent started yet(due to start end of april)

Oh I see, so there are still 2 vacant posts, meaning they are unlikely to want to be without you for a period of time. That is likely to make it more difficult to convince your manager I would think.

How long have you been there and how much time do you want to take off?

yes i was thinking that too,as they will be stretched enough as it is.

however if they are a little more forward thinking [desperateemoticon]they will think about retaining staff non?

i want to take a four week block...august more precisely!

did you see my post that says i am due to start end of april.

Well, yes, retaining staff can be important, but will they really be convinced that you'll leave if they say no?

Can you think of any benefit at all for your manager in saying yes? Just in terms of framing a request, any request, if you can talk about how marvellous it will be for him/her and for the employer as a whole that's always good.

isnt parental leave supposed to be unpaid leave for parents who have emergency/no other option?
Surely its not something you can book that far in advance, especially when you havent started the job yet and dont meet the criteria?
I think you are actually after 4 weeks extra holiday but unpaid.

Dont think it will go down too well for your reputation as a good worker tbh.

That's something different EdwardBear, have a look at beanieb's link earlier. Parental leave is planned leave in blocks of a week or several weeks for work/life balance purposes, childcare, that type of thing. Emergency leave is different.

Beansontoast have you not even started the job yet??

Parental leave isnt for emergencies, it is for planned leave.

I think that you have probably got a good chance of getting this agreed (as it is really just 4 weeks unpaid leave that you are after). If they have 3 vacancies at the moment, and have only managed to fill one of them then I think they wont want to risk you going elsewhere, or changing your mind about the job.

sorry my mistake

I spoke to my manager a couple of days ago and she asked me if i would mind being based at another location for two days a week...which was no biggy for me,but she expressed some concern that it might be a deal breaker for me and thought i might back out!

she also raised that i wouldnt be eligible for the parental leave untill i had completed 12 months service.i breezed over that....panic i think. i wanted to secure the job and then make requests.

im not sure what i can offer.i can talk about commiting for at least two years...i think.

i am certainly a good specimen in my class...they just dont know it yet.

flowerybeanbag.thanks so much for your input so far.i am waiting on my CRB check to come through and then i can start.

thanks for your optimism 'bouncyone'.

yes! i am after four weeks 'holiday' with my preschool children...and after a while i will be entitled to that! my reputation as a good worker,edwardbear, will be based on my excellence and the non stop graft at all other times!