LegalEdge’s employment specialist Nick Pritchett speaks to The Times about maternity leave
We were delighted to see LegalEdge’s very own Nick Pritchett appear in print recently when he spoke to The Times for an article looking at how small businesses are rethinking maternity leave (13 January 2013).
Nick’s expertise was evident in the piece, which appeared in the Business section of the national newspaper. For those who may have missed it, Nick shares his thoughts and experiences on the topic of enhanced maternity leave below.
Q: Is it becoming more commonplace for smaller companies to consider introducing ‘enhanced’ maternity/paternity leave policies and, if so, what’s driving this?
Yes, I’d say it is becoming more commonplace for smaller businesses to implement enhanced policies typically associated with bigger corporates.
As to why this is happening, competing for talent, and then retaining it, is certainly key to the business case. But I increasingly see smaller businesses placing more emphasis on a benevolent approach as an intrinsic part of their culture; they want to “do the right thing” for their staff.
Q: Are there any pitfalls when introducing these sorts of enhanced policies?
When you are looking at introducing any benefit targeted at a specific group there is always a risk of discrimination – so getting the right, practical legal advice at the planning stage is a very sensible precaution. You also need to make sure that the wording of the policy achieves what the business wants it to and this is also something a lawyer can sense check for you.
Obviously, putting in place an enhanced package of benefits for staff is going to cost the business more so make sure you have carried out a robust cost/benefit analysis and can reassure investors why this is the right course of action.
Q: Are there implications for maternity/paternity leave and other family friendly policies in the forthcoming Employment Rights Bill?
The devil will be in the detail and all of us are eagerly awaiting the full details of the headline changes so far announced, only then will we be able to properly address the implications for businesses. However, it looks like protection for mothers before, during and after maternity leave will be enhanced by protection from dismissal generally (rather than just redundancy as is the case now).
With paternity leave and pay proposed to be a “Day One” right, and flexible working being made the presumption from day one, all policies (enhanced and statutory) in these areas will need to be reviewed and likely updated to be compliant.
Q: What are your top tips for founders/leaders of growing businesses to consider when revisiting their maternity/paternity leave policies?
- Remember that any enhanced policy is essentially a product you’re taking to the recruitment market, so do your research accordingly. Benchmark for context against other similar businesses, if possible, and find out what the balance point is between your cultural goals and how far the policies should go (ie what is the business prepared to pay?).
- Don’t overreach. You can always ramp up the enhancements over time – you don’t have to launch changes with a “big bang”! Try to assess and stress test the impact of your policies in advance and keep things under regular review – if they aren’t doing what you hoped then consider changing them again.
How can we help?
We can help with planning, designing and implementing enhanced people policies, including maternity and paternity terms. To discuss changes to your organisation’s policies please get in touch: info@legaledge.co.uk
