The trigger date - 6 April 2003. Family Friendly rights, brought to employees and employers alike with
implementation of Employment Act 2002. These include increased maternity leave together with introduction of paternity leave, adoption leave and new right to request flexible working. Amidst plethora of information on legal detail of these “family friendly” rights – Derian Keyms takes a moment to consider HR perspective – what “family friendly” measures should employers now take?Information on UK’s new family friendly rights is widely, and freely, available. It’s said that “the devil’s in detail” – well, there’s more than enough legal detail, and in abundance! But what’s lacking is information and guidance for employers on what to do now. How to stay ahead, and how to minimise risk of a claim. Much of my article may seem blindingly obvious – but so are most issues, with advantage of retrospect. So I invite you to join me in a quick rundown of top tips for employers…
In a nutshell, these consist of my “Five C’s” - Compliance, Contractual, Clarity, Communication and Consistency:
Compliance. Ensure awareness and understanding of what statutory minimum provisions are, together with any collective or workforce agreements that may also govern internal provisions.
Contractual. Review existing arrangements and cross check those with individual contractual rights. Revisit “Custom and Practice” – what actually happens as opposed to what you think should happen!
Clarity. Try and minimise misunderstanding with use of simple, clear and user friendly language. Ensure defined procedures and processes for employees, managers, HR and payroll – a step-by-step guide.
