| Workers’ right to request
flexible working is to be extended under a
change to be introduced from 6 April,
businesses are reminded. Employees are
currently eligible to request flexible
working to care for a child aged under 17,
a disabled child aged under 18 who
receives disability living allowance or
certain adults who require care.
From 6 April 2011, the
right to request flexible working will be
extended to workers where the child
involved is under the age of 18, whether
the child is disabled or not.
Also from 6 April 2011,
employers will be able recruit a job
candidate or promote an existing employee
who has a protected characteristic if they
are of equal merit to another candidate or
employee and the employer reasonably
thinks that people with that
characteristic:
- are underrepresented in their
existing workforce or
- suffer a disadvantage connected to
that characteristic.
The relevant protected characteristics
are:
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- marriage and civil partnership
- pregnancy and maternity
- race, ethnic or national origin,
colour and nationality
- religion/belief or lack of any
religion/belief
- sex
- sexual orientation.
From 3 April 2011,
employees will gain the right to
additional paternity leave and pay (APL&P)
where their partner is due to give birth
on or after 3 April or they have been
notified on or after 3 April that they
have been matched with a child for
adoption.
Additional paternity leave (APL) will
allow an employee to take up to 26 weeks'
leave to care for the child. They will
only be able to start APL 20 or more weeks
after the child's birth or placement for
adoption and/or after their partner has
returned to work from statutory maternity
or adoption leave or ended their
entitlement to statutory maternity or
adoption pay, or maternity allowance.
The APL must also end by the end of the
52nd week after the child's actual birth
or placement for adoption.
Additional statutory paternity pay (ASPP)
will only be paid during the time their
partner would have received statutory
maternity or adoption pay, or maternity
allowance.
LINK:
Business Link regulation updates |
