April employment law changes: key XpertHR resources
XpertHR rounds up key content on employment law changes that come into force in April 2015. The changes cover the enhancement of family-friendly rights, increases in the limits on tribunal awards and changes to national insurance.
The April changes include shared parental leave taking full effect as eligible parents of babies due on or after 5 April 2015 exercise their entitlement to shared parental leave and pay. Adoptive parents are also entitled to shared parental leave and pay, and their adoption leave rights are being further enhanced so that they are more closely aligned to those of mothers taking maternity leave. Also from 5 April 2015, all employees with parental responsibility are entitled to take ordinary parental leave, that is, unpaid leave for up to 18 weeks, until the child reaches his or her 18th birthday. Previously, ordinary parental leave could normally be taken only up to the child's fifth birthday.
The rates of statutory maternity, adoption, paternity and shared parental pay increase on 5 April 2015. The rate of statutory sick pay rises on 6 April 2015. The changes on limits on tribunal awards, including the maximum amount of a week's pay for the purposes of calculating a basic award and statutory redundancy pay, take effect on 6 April 2015. Also from this date, employers' national insurance will no longer be payable in respect of employees under 21 years of age.
Shared parental leave
- Policies and documents > Shared parental leave policy (children expected to be born on or after 5 April 2015)
- Policies and documents > Letter explaining to employees the new right to shared parental leave
- Policies and documents > Form for a mother to curtail her maternity leave to take shared parental leave
- Policies and documents > Form for a mother to provide a notice of entitlement and intention to take shared parental leave
- Policies and documents > Form for a partner to provide a notice of entitlement and intention to take shared parental leave
- FAQs > When will the mother of a child be eligible to take shared parental leave?
- FAQs > When will the father of a child, or the partner of a child's mother, be eligible to take shared parental leave?
- FAQs > How much notice that they intend to take shared parental leave must employees give?
- FAQs > How is statutory shared parental pay divided between the parents if they take shared parental leave at the same time as each other?
- FAQs > Can employees on shared parental leave take keeping-in-touch days?
- Employment law manual > Family-friendly rights > Shared parental leave
- Employment law manual > Family-friendly rights > Shared parental pay
Adoptive parents' entitlements enhanced
- Policies and documents > Form for an adopter to curtail his or her adoption leave to take shared parental leave
- Policies and documents > Form for an adopter to provide a notice of entitlement and intention to take shared parental leave (adoptions within the UK)
- Policies and documents > Form for an adopter's partner to provide a notice of entitlement and intention to take shared parental leave (adoptions within the UK)
- Policies and documents > Shared parental leave policy (children placed for adoption or entering Great Britain on or after 5 April 2015)
- Policies and documents > Letter responding to an adopter who has requested paid time off to attend an adoption appointment
- Policies and documents > Letter responding to an adopter who has requested unpaid time off to attend an adoption appointment
- Policies and documents > Declaration form for a joint adopter who has requested time off to attend adoption appointments
- Employment law manual > Family-friendly rights > Adoption leave
Ordinary parental leave
- FAQs >What is ordinary parental leave and who is entitled to it?
- FAQs > What are the procedures for taking ordinary parental leave?
