Let us help you with people policies.
The key to any good business is a happy and healthy workforce – our empathetic HR services can help ensure your team is supported for whatever life throws their way.
Let us help you with people policies
Whether you’re just starting a business or expanding your current company, consider us your long-term HR partner. We want to support your business’s growth every step of the way with transparent and up-to-date advice.
We can provide tailored advice on how to create a clear and legally sound absence management policy to support your employees’ wellbeing and take fair and compliant action if required.
We can offer support with the following:
Adoption Leave
Adoption leave provides adoptive parents the perfect opportunity to bond and establish a routine with the newest family member.
Employed adopters may be entitled to up to a maximum of 52 weeks of statutory adoption leave. This is a day one right meaning there is no qualifying period of employment required.
For a detailed breakdown of what should be included in an adoption policy, get in touch with our team.
Bereavement Leave
When a team member experiences a bereavement, this can be a devastating period in that person’s life. The best support you can provide as an employer is to ensure you have a bereavement policy in place that offers support, compassion and care, whilst also allowing your valued team member(s) the opportunity to grieve, spend time with their loved ones and prepare for the final ceremonies.
In the UK, there is no set legislation for this absence period (unless the team member is eligible for parental leave pay when a child dies). There is also no legal right for the time off to be paid.
However, in order to maintain a positive work environment, and set yourselves apart from your competitors, your business should be as compassionate as possible, whilst also offering what it can to ensure the well-being of the team member.
Why not address your business’s bereavement policy today?
Compassionate Leave
Compassionate leave relates to an employee taking time away from work to deal with a difficult, upsetting, or serious set of circumstances that causes them to care for a loved one or seek additional help for themselves.
Bereavement and compassionate leave are often used interchangeably, and as such, there is no set regulation for how long the employee can be absent. The issues that cause compassionate leave can be long-lasting and must be dealt with with sensitivity.
Gain a better understanding of compassionate leave and how to incorporate it into your business practice by contacting us today.
Dependent's Leave
Dependent’s Leave allows individuals to support close family members, household occupants, and any other members of their circle who may be dependent on them for support and assistance.
Whether it’s a school closure or supporting a dependent when they become ill unexpectedly, this type of leave is regulated in the UK and requires employers to allow employees to spend a ‘reasonable’ amount of time away to deal with these issues. However, employers are not obligated to maintain the team member’s usual pay rate.
Protect your business, your employees, and their loved ones with a transparent dependency leave policy.
Flexible Working
Flexible working is legally available for all UK employees. Requests for a flexible working contract should be dealt with on a term-by-term basis and at the discretion of what is in the best interests of the wider team and company.
Certain employees may benefit from flexible start and finish times due to other commitments, or they may wish to work from home on certain days of the week to spend time with their young family.
Your flexible working policy should cover remote working, flexible hours and any training or communication provisions that may be necessary in order for the policy to be effective.
Contact our team for advice on how to manage flexible working in your business.
Ordinary Parental Leave
When childcare arrangements fall through, winter weather brings sick days, and emergency hospital visits come to the front of the priority line, employers must understand the rights employees have when it comes to parental leave.
UK legislation allows for employees to take 18 weeks of unpaid parental leave for each child and adopted child up to their 18th birthday. However, this is limited to a maximum of 4 weeks of unpaid leave for each child in any given year, unless the employer’s policy states otherwise.
Childcare is often a very tricky balancing act for families and employers should therefore consider being flexible when it comes to their parental leave policy as the justification for these types of absences always relate to a dependent.
Provide the best support for the parents in your workforce and contact our team for HR advice.
Paternity Leave
Becoming a parent, whether that be the baby’s father or the expectant mother’s spouse or civil partner, is one of the most important and exciting times in that person’s life. Allowing your employees time off work to spend time with their newborn or adoptive child is important, and this type of planned absence should be clearly outlined within your people policies.
For “eligible” employees taking paternity leave, the current UK legislation allows for 1 or 2 consecutive weeks starting on the day their baby is born (or when the adoption placement starts). There are always additional circumstances to consider with this kind of leave and employers may need to be more adaptable if partners require more or less time at home.
Support your employees at every stage of parenthood with a flexible paternity leave plan.
Let’s talk!
Ready to take the first step towards simple and effective HR policies?
Our friendly and professional experts are here to help your organisation become the best it can be. Drop us a line today to get the ball rolling.
