Family Leave - Maternity

You might come across some terms which you’re unfamiliar with whilst reviewing this policy. To help, we’ve summarised these key terms for your reference:

I’ve just found out that I’m pregnant. What do I need to do?

To enable us to make arrangements relating to your period of maternity leave and calculate any pay you are entitled to, please notify us via Zellis Employee Self Service (Your Family Leave > Notice of Maternity Leave). This will then be passed on to the People Team. If you would like to speak with somebody prior to submitting the form, you can have a chat with your line manager or, alternatively, contact the People Team. Whilst you're not obliged to tell us about your pregnancy before the end of your Qualifying Week, the earlier we know, the more time we have to plan and undertake a maternity risk assessment.

What other information do you need from me?

You’ll be asked to provide a copy of your MATB1 form. Your midwife will normally give this to you at the first antenatal appointment after your 20-week scan (or you can request a copy from your GP). The MATB1 form must be signed by your doctor or midwife and confirm the date your baby is due.

Am I entitled to time off (and pay) for antenatal appointments?

Yes, you're entitled to reasonable paid leave for appointments, where these fall within your working hours. Please give your line manager as much notice as possible and they may wish to see an appointment card for all but the initial appointment. Reasonable paid time off work will be granted to allow you to travel to and attend the appointment(s). Depending on the arrangements for the appointment, you may be required to attend work prior to / after the appointment.

The baby’s father (or whoever you expect to share the main childcare responsibility with) is entitled to unpaid time off work to attend two antenatal appointments with you, where these fall within their working hours. They should speak with their employer to understand their arrangements. Where this person is a colleague at our co-op, they will be eligible for paid leave to attend up to 5 appointments (please refer them to our Paternity policy if this is the case).

What is the maternity risk assessment?

By law, we have to specifically consider the health and safety of pregnant women at work. Your manager will conduct a risk assessment with you at different points throughout your pregnancy. If any changes to your working arrangements are considered necessary to ensure your safety during pregnancy, then these will be fully discussed with you. Similarly, if you have any concerns at any time, please discuss these with your line manager or contact the People Team.

How much time off am I entitled to?

You are entitled to 52 weeks maternity leave, regardless of your length of service, job role and working hours, etc. This is made up of 26 weeks ordinary maternity leave and 26 weeks additional maternity leave. You may also consider Shared Parental Leave as an option, which effectively enables you to share your maternity leave entitlement with your partner.

If you are expecting two (or more) babies, your entitlement to maternity leave and pay is the same (as if you were only expecting one child).

Do I have to take 52 weeks off work?

No. However, it is compulsory for you to take two weeks maternity leave following the birth of your baby (if you work at H.L. Perfitt, the compulsory period may be four weeks, depending on your job role). Thereafter, you can choose how long you would like to take off work (either as maternity leave or Shared Parental Leave).

How do I notify you about when I would like my maternity leave to start?

You can pick your preferred date, as long as it’s not earlier than the 11th week before your Expected Week of Confinement. You’ll be asked to confirm this when you notify us of your pregnancy in Zellis Employee Self Service (Your Family Leave > Notice of Maternity Leave). The latest date your maternity leave can start is the day you give birth. You can change the date you would like your maternity leave to start, as long as you let us know within 28 days of (the earlier of) the original or revised date. Your period of maternity leave will start earlier if your baby is born before your preferred start date. Your period of maternity leave may also start earlier if you are absent from work because of your pregnancy (e.g. sickness) at any time in the four weeks leading up to your Expected Week of Confinement.

Can I take holiday before my maternity leave starts?

You should use any outstanding and accrued holiday before you go on maternity leave. You might request to take this immediately before your maternity leave starts to extend your total period of leave. Please discuss your request with your line manager.

Do I accrue holiday whilst I am on maternity leave?

Yes.

Do the terms & conditions of my employment continue whilst I’m on maternity leave?

You’ll continue to receive your contractual benefits whilst you are on maternity leave. Please see the 'Returning to Work' section below for further details regarding your job role with our co-op.

My baby was born early and requires neonatal care. Do you offer any additional support?

For each full week that your baby is in neonatal care, we will grant an additional week’s leave and pay, up to a maximum of two weeks. Please advise your line manager or the People Team as soon as possible should these circumstances apply to you. You do not need to meet any service or earnings criteria to be eligible for this leave and pay. Please note that we are unable to ‘interrupt’ maternity leave to grant this additional paid leave. In this instance, this additional paid leave will be administered at the end of your maternity leave.

How much pay am I entitled to?

You may receive Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and Occupational Maternity Pay (OMP) whilst you are on maternity leave, dependent on eligibility.  

How do you calculate who is entitled to SMP?

The criteria is set by the Government. You must have 26 weeks continuous service with our co-op at the Qualifying Week. Entitlement is then based on the following:

• In the 8-week period prior to your Qualifying Week, your average weekly earnings are at or above the National Insurance Lower Earnings Limit (currently £123 per week);
• You are able to give at least 28 days’ notice that you intend to take maternity leave (or as much notice as you can); and
• You are still pregnant or have already had your baby 11 weeks before the Expected Week of Confinement.

How much is SMP?

The standard rate of SMP is set by the Government. It is currently:

• 90% of your average weekly earnings for the first 6 weeks; plus
• The lower of 90% of your average weekly earnings or £172.48 for a further 33 weeks (‘lower SMP rate’).

If 90% of your average weekly earnings is less than £172.48 (but more than £123, as above), all 39 weeks will be paid at lower SMP rate.

What is Occupational Maternity Pay (OMP)?

OMP is a discretionary enhancement to SMP for colleagues with 1 year’s continuous service with our co-op at the Qualifying Week (and who have not given notice to leave our employment). We will pay 90% of your average weekly earnings for a further 4-week period, meaning the first 10 weeks will be paid at the higher rate (if higher than the current rate of SMP). We will also pay OMP to colleagues in receipt of Maternity Allowance (MA), in which case we will ‘top up’ MA to 90% of average weekly earnings for 10 weeks, where applicable. As aforementioned, if you have a baby who requires neonatal care, we will grant up to an additional two weeks leave and OMP. This will also be paid at 90% of your average weekly earnings.

Will you tell me what I will be paid whilst I am on maternity leave?

We will write to you within 28 days of (the latter of) you notifying us of your pregnancy or receipt of your MATB1 to confirm your period of maternity leave and pay arrangements. If you don’t qualify for SMP, we will send you a SMP1 form for you to provide to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), along with your original MATB1 form (where applicable). They’ll then be able to assess whether you’re eligible to receive Maternity Allowance (MA) from them. MA is a payment made directly by the DWP to the eligible person. If you're eligible for MA, please provide us with a copy of your correspondence from the DWP confirming this as soon as possible (the letter accompanying your SMP1 form will confirm where to send this to). We will then be able to assess your entitlement to OMP, as above.

Is maternity pay paid in the same way as my normal wages?

Yes, SMP and OMP is paid through the payroll as normal (4-weekly). Tax and National Insurance deductions will be deducted, as applicable.

What happens to my pension contributions whilst I’m on maternity leave?

If you're a participating member of the Royal London Stakeholder Scheme, employee and employer contributions will continue to be paid into your plan based on your normal basic pay for the duration of your paid period of maternity leave. We will ‘top up’ these contributions to Royal London, as appropriate.

Summary of Maternity Pay Arrangements (based on 52 weeks*)

*Note: See earlier reference to parents of babies who require neonatal care. Where eligible, this 1-2 weeks of neonatal leave and pay will be in addition to the arrangements detailed in this table

What contact will I have with work whilst I am on maternity leave?

Your line manager will meet with you prior to your maternity leave. This is a great opportunity to discuss any outstanding queries or concerns you might have. They will also talk to you to mutually agree the level of contact you would like to have whilst you’re away from work (e.g. a monthly phone call for a ‘chat’).

What are ‘Keeping in Touch’ days?

During this meeting, your line manager will also talk to you about the option of working up to 10 days during your period of maternity leave, known as KIT days. These are sometimes important for reasons such as keeping a qualification valid, to attend key meetings or training days, but some colleagues just enjoy working once in a while to ‘keep their hand in’! Any time worked is considered a KIT day. For example, if you attend a 1-hour meeting and don’t do any other work on that day, this will still be considered as one of your KIT days.

You don’t have to work any KIT days if you don’t want to, but be assured that working a KIT day won’t affect the continuity of your maternity leave or pay. If you do work a KIT Day, you’ll maintain your SMP or be paid your normal pay for any time worked (whichever is greater).

You can request to work a KIT day at any time during your maternity leave by speaking to your line manager or via Zellis Employee Self Service (Your Family Leave > KIT/SPLIT Day(s) Request).

Can I look for and apply for jobs whilst I’m on maternity leave?

Yes, you can browse current vacancies at our co-op on our careers website, where you can also make an application.

How do I let you know when I will be returning from maternity leave?

Let us know in Zellis Employee Self Service (Your Family Leave > Intention to Return to Work). If you wish to return prior to taking the full 52-week period of leave, you’ll need to provide 8 weeks’ notice. Whilst we’ll do our best to accommodate your plans, we might need to delay your return if you don’t give us proper notice. If you would like to speak with somebody prior to submitting the form, you can have a chat with your line manager or alternatively contact the People Team.

Will I have a return to work meeting?

Once you’ve completed the form in Zellis Employee Self Service, your line manager will contact you to arrange a time to discuss your return to work (this can take place over the phone too, if easier). We will treat this ‘welcome back’ meeting as a KIT day so you’ll be paid accordingly. You don’t have to attend this meeting, but it is there to support you.

Will I return to the same job?

You are entitled to take up the same job you had before your maternity leave, if you return to work immediately after your period of ordinary maternity leave (26 weeks). If you return later (during / after additional maternity leave), you may be offered a similar job if it’s not reasonably practicable for you to resume your previous role. The terms and conditions of this role will not be less favourable. If there are any major changes to the business during your period of maternity leave (e.g. a restructure), we will contact you to discuss these further, as appropriate. If your job is one that is identified as posing a risk to your health and safety as a new mother or because you may be breastfeeding, we will notify you and discuss a risk assessment with you.

Can I use my holiday to take extend my period of leave?

Yes, you should use any holiday you have accrued during your period of maternity leave before returning to work. You cannot take holiday whilst on maternity leave / pay, so colleagues request to use their holiday in different ways. These are some examples:

• End their maternity leave from the unpaid period (40th week) and take holiday (and return to work immediately after this period).
• Take holiday at the end of the full 52-week period.
• Use holiday in the initial few weeks of returning to work (so only ‘working’ part-time hours).

Please discuss this during your welcome back meeting (or with your line manager via other means / at an earlier opportunity).

I would like to return to work but I might need some changes, like different working hours. What should I do?

We understand that your circumstances have changed. We’re committed to exploring any changes to your working arrangements you may need to enable you to return to work and to balance your commitments. You may have already started discussing this with your line manager during any contact you’ve had with them whilst you’ve been on maternity leave.

You can view our flexible working policy, including details of how to make a request here, Flexible Working. It's important to point out that if you intend to make a flexible working request, we have up to three months to handle your application. Whilst in the vast majority of cases we will respond much quicker than this, it’s important to bear this in mind, especially if you’ll need different working arrangements immediately on your return.

I’m breastfeeding. Is there anything you can do to support me?

There might be options which would help, including different working hours, a private space to express, additional breaks, etc. These can depend on your workplace / working arrangements, so please discuss this with your line manager.

I won’t be returning to work. What do I need to do?

Please let your line manager know as soon as possible, giving notice as required by your contract of employment. You’ll be processed as a leaver in the normal way and, on the first available payday after your leave date, you’ll receive any monies due (including payment for any accrued and outstanding holiday). Please see Leaving our Co-op for more information.