How to handle the growth of family friendly legislation

Both employers and employees stand to gain when parents see their rights to flexible working extended further than ever through the Work and Families Act 2006, says a Bristol HR expert.

Measures proposed in the Act, which passes into law this autumn, include an increase in paid maternity leave from 26 to 39 weeks from April 2007, and making a proportion of paid maternity leave transferable to partners who choose to stay at home instead.

Such a move will be welcomed by parents, which includes those who are adopting, but their employers, especially small companies, may feel the changes complicate their role as employers.

But Rachel Stone, head of the people management team at Bristol business advisory firm Solomon Hare, argues that employers can benefit from the changes as well, as flexibility helps employers to hang onto their workforce, rather than losing experienced staff when their personal circumstances change.

Stone says: "Increased rights for working parents has meant that more employees are taking time off to be with their children. Recent research by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) showed that 93% of dads now take time off around the time of birth.

"It is important that employers recognise the benefits of enabling employees to balance their work and home lives better. This will help employers to keep the staff with the skills they need whilst saving time and money on recruitment and training."

With that in mind, Solomon Hare's People Management team has come up with easy-to-follow advice for employers looking to take on board existing and new legislation surrounding the rights of working parents.

BE PREPARED
• Understand the statutory rights and responsibilities that you have in terms of maternity, paternity and adoption;
• Make sure that you have clear policies and procedures on family rights for employees and managers to follow;
• Train your supervisors and managers so that they know how to respond.

BE SUPPORTIVE
• Respond positively to employees who wish to exercise their maternity, paternity or adoptive rights;
• Show consideration for the practical concerns employees will have in terms of ante-natal care, work arrangements, finances and career implications;

BE FLEXIBLE
• Make adjustments during pregnancy to help an employee continue working for as long as reasonably possible;
• Give serious consideration to requests for flexible working on return from leave - recent research from the DTI shows that to date more than 85% of requests have been approved.

BE SAFETY CONSCIOUS
• Risk assessments for pregnant women are a legal requirement - make sure that you have someone trained to do these assessments;
• Pay particular attention to the working environment for pregnant employees, and be prepared to make adjustments that will help keep them comfortable and safe

BE ORGANISED
• Ask your pregnant employee, or employee planning adoptive leave, to help you plan for their absence;
• Make a good plan for cover during maternity or adoptive leave - do you need a temporary replacement or can other employees help?