Organisations urged to prepare for parental leave changes

Organisations are being urged to prepare for the upcoming changes to parental leave, with workers set to gain the right to claim it from day one starting in the spring.

Day-one entitlement to parental leave was one of the key measures included in the Employment Rights Act, which has now made its way through parliament. It will mean both male and female workers who are new parents will be able to claim this leave from their very first day at an organisation. It is set to become the law of the land from April, and observers are stating that companies should get ready for it now.

Among the steps that should be taken are to make sure that their workers know what they are entitled to and to come up with revised policies. It is also being suggested that some organisations will have to review their workplace cultures to make them more supportive of parents.

All of this demonstrates once again how essential HR is to the corporate world now. Some small businesses will not have their own internal HR departments, but outsourced HR services in Buckinghamshire could help them to prepare.

They are almost certain to need some help, because the new law will cause considerable disruption. It will lead to higher numbers of worker absences at short notice and managers coming under pressure to deal appropriately with parental leave requests.

No company of any size will want to leave itself open to a discrimination claim. That will make qualified HR assistance absolutely vital to them.