Member Article

Mum's the word

With Business Link

Mother’s Day, later this month, is a time for remembering and thanking our mothers. Of course, we shouldn’t restrict our recognition of their efforts to one day a year but the event does help us focus our minds on them! It also serves as a prompt to employers of new or expectant mothers on your staff to make sure you know what they are entitled to in terms of leave, pay and associated benefits. The Business Link website gives lots of advice. It also links you to the HM Revenue & Customs website where you can calculate how much Statutory Maternity Pay your employee should be paid.

All responsible employers will have some awareness of the basic rules of managing expectant and new mothers at work, but some of the less obvious obligations may surprise you. Did you know, for instance, that you must inform your employee of any changes in the workplace, conditions or practices, and of any internal vacancies throughout her maternity leave? Or that, if she is breastfeeding, you must provide a smoke-free area on her return where she can rest? It’s also good practice to provide a private room where she can express and store breast milk.

Unfortunately some pregnancies are not straightforward. Sometimes it will end in miscarriage or the baby may be born and not survive. Employers need to address this both legally and sensitively. To find out the rules of maternity leave and pay in these circumstances, check out the ‘Managing Expectant and New Mothers at Work’ section on the Business Link website.

In its ‘Employing People’ section, the Business Link website offers an interactive tool to help you to ensure you act properly and within the law at every turn. It’s not a substitute for professional advice but it provides a clear idea of your responsibilities through an instant response to a form you complete detailing your particular situation – e.g. whether the pregnant employee is still working, off sick, on ordinary maternity leave (first 26 weeks of leave, which every employee is entitled to), additional Maternity Leave (the subsequent 26 weeks) or back at work.

And of course, you must not forget the rights of the father (or the man who will be responsible for bringing up the child) who is entitled to two weeks’ leave at or around the time the baby is born, or adoptive parents who also have Statutory Adoption or Paternity Pay rights. Not everyone is entitled to this so check out the ‘Maternity, Paternity and Adoption’ section on the Business Link website.

For Business Link services in your local area, call 0845 600 9006 or visit the website www.businesslink.gov.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .