Underwood Carpenter Employee Handbook - Latest 02 11 16

SPLIT (Shared Parental Leave in Touch) Days
During your Shared Parental Leave you may carry out up to 20 days’ work without bringing your SPL
leave to an end or impacting on your right to claim SPP. This can include attending training or
keeping in touch with the workplace by, for example, attending Company or team meetings. In
addition, reasonable contact to discuss your work or return to work will also not bring your SPL to an
end.
During your SPL there is no obligation on the Company to provide you with work, nor is there any
requirement on you to attend work if you do not wish to do so. Therefore, for the avoidance of
doubt, before commencing your SPL we will discuss with you what contact you feel would be
appropriate during your leave.
Contractual Status during Shared Parental Leave
The contract of employment continues during Shared Parental Leave and entitlement to all
benefits continues, with the exception of salary (and other remuneration payments).
Return to Work After Shared Parental Leave
You will be entitled to return to either the same job following SPL, or a job or a similar nature and
status depending on the length of your absence.
If you decide not to return to work you must give the normal contractual notice period for
termination of employment.
If you request to return to work on different terms and conditions of employment than before the
commencement of your SPL, the Company will give reasonable consideration to this request and
will not unreasonably refuse permission. Please see the Company’s policy on requesting flexible
working.
Parental Leave
Any employee with continuous employment of one year or more who has or adopts a baby/child
will be entitled to take up to 18 weeks’ unpaid leave. This can be taken at any time prior to the
child’s 18th birthday.
You carry your entitlement with you from employer to employer; you will therefore be required to
disclose the amount of parental leave that you have already taken with your former employer(s).
Leave must be taken in blocks of not less than one week except where time off is needed for the
care of a disabled child. You cannot take more than 4 weeks’ parental leave in any one year.
Requests for leave should be made at least 21 days in advance of the leave dates. The Company
would appreciate as much notice as possible in order to try and accommodate requests where
possible.
The Company is unlikely to request more than a 3 month delay in taking leave; however the
Company reserves the right to postpone requests for leave by up to 6 months.
Should the request for leave be considered to be for reasons other than looking after a child,
spending time with a child etc., leave will be refused.
During the leave period, you will owe a duty of ‘fidelity’ to the Company. Therefore, should you
choose to use parental leave to work elsewhere or to carry out activities not compatible with the
reasons given for taking leave, you will be subject to disciplinary action.
Employee Handbook Issue Date: November 2016
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