With several amendments to employment law and new legislation coming in in 2024, now is a great time to review and update your policies.
In particular, your family friendly policies – these might be standalone policies, or they might be a Family Friendly Handbook. Either way, they need to be kept up to date with rules changes.
Do I need policies?
It’s not vital to have specific policies for every scenario, but it can make life easier and enables your employees to educate themselves on their entitlements.
Having a clear policy can also help to protect you against claims of discrimination – for example pregnancy, maternity and taking (or planning to take) paternity leave are protected characteristics and unlike in unfair dismissal, there is no ceiling on the amount of compensation a tribunal can award for pregnancy discrimination. Employers also have health and safety responsibilities for pregnant and breastfeeding employees.
What should be included?
The following policies could be covered:
A family friendly policy doesn’t just apply to parents, there are other circumstances which might effect your employee and their families that should be covered too:
Family friendly rights have increased in 2024, so it’s vital to adapt to the changes and provide the support your employees need and are entitled to.
The HR Overload team can advise on specific scenarios which may have arisen in your business, write bespoke policies and/or review your current practices and documents.
Get in touch to see how we could help you.
e: hello@hroverload.co.uk t: 020 8588 9494 w: www.hroverload.co.uk