Webinar transcript
Amy Rosoman (00:02):
Good morning and thank you for joining us today for our Employment Law webinar. My name's Amy Rosoman, I'm the content marketing manager at Breathe. I'm really excited to welcome some guests today for you. We've got Helen from Nockolds HR. And we've also got Jason from NORI HR. So they will be joining us in just a second. We are delighted to welcome you to our Employment Law webinar. We are going to be reviewing what's going on at the moment, so where are the new proposed bills? What's the latest? What's going on? What legislation? And we're also going to be reviewing this from an HR perspective, so how this can impact you as a business in your HR departments and beyond. So let me now introduce you to the wonderful Jason. Jason, if you could introduce yourself, that would be wonderful.
Jason Govindji-Bruce (01:06):
Thank you very much, and good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us. So I'm Jason Govindji-Bruce, one of the managing directors and co-founder of NORI HR and Employment Law. I founded the business in July 2019, alongside my wife. And, since then, we've grown to a team of nine.
Amy Rosoman (01:25):
Fabulous. Thank you, Jason. And you can see a little bit more about Jason here. He's being very humble. They've won a lot of awards, as you can see at the bottom there. And you can also find Jason on his LinkedIn profile, which is just showing there too. And, Helen, if you could please introduce yourself, that would be wonderful.
Helen Burrowes (01:45):
Hello, everyone. So my name's Helen Burrowes, and I work as a HR consultant for Nockolds HR. We provide day-to-day HR advice and support to businesses. We also work on major projects, mergers and acquisitions, salary benchmarking. And, also, I thoroughly enjoy doing training with people. So that's a little bit about me. I've always worked in HR, absolutely love it. I love the fact that we can support businesses and employees to make the workplace a good place to be.
Amy Rosoman (02:27):
Wonderful. Thank you so much, Helen. You can see as well Helen is on LinkedIn, so please do reach out too after the session. Wonderful. So let's get started. We did share quite a few things in preparation for this webinar about what we'll be covering today. So we'd like to kick off with the update about the Carer's Leave Bill. Jason, please could we hand over for an update, please?
Jason Govindji-Bruce (02:57):
You can indeed. Thank you very much. So yes, with regards to the Carer's Bill, obviously it's received royal assent, so that's become law now. So, essentially, it sets out that an employee can request, and should be granted, one week of flexible unpaid leave, where they are a primary carer or looking after someone with care responsibilities. Now, there are certain parameters that have to be fulfilled in order to be eligible for this. So the person dependent on the employee has to be a spouse, a civil partner, child, or parent of that employee. Or, potentially, live in the same household as the employee or rely on the employee for care.
(03:39):
Now, for the person that they're providing care, there's also parameters that need to be met in order for this to be activated and to be eligible. So they have to have an illness and injury that requires, or is likely to require, care for more than three months. They have to have a disability for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010. And they have to require care for a reason connected with their old age, or potentially their old age. So there's certain parameters that have to be assessed from the employer's point of view, whether they are eligible.
(04:10):
Now, there is a bit of a restriction on employers in that they can't ask for proof from the employee that the week that they've requested is specifically to provide this care. And that does obviously rely on employers having a trust element with the employees in question. But I'd like to think that most employee-employer relationships would meet that criteria as well.
Amy Rosoman (04:34):
Thank you, Jason. A lot going on and a lot to take in. So, hopefully, this is really helpful for anyone. And, again, please do ask questions. We will get to those at the end of the session. Following on from that, Helen, I think it's really important probably for people, and SMEs particularly, to understand, with these changes, what it is that HR need to implement.
Helen Burrowes (04:57):
Yeah, absolutely. So it is reported that 2.6 million employees have quit their jobs to care for loved ones. So that's what we're looking at at the moment. So there is a need out there to provide support to people that feel that they perhaps can't work because they've got caring responsibilities. Often, people are leaving work because the conflict between the two, caring for somebody but also the work commitments. And so they're forced to resign and leave the business. Or they remain in the business and feel very disengaged because they just don't feel that the employer is able to support them or willing to support them. So I think that's having a big impact on businesses. And, obviously, the business continuity when somebody leaves, or if somebody's just disengaged. So the question I would have to businesses is, really, can you afford to lose these key people within your business? And is it restricting you from attracting new talent coming into the business?
(06:12):
So, perhaps, people need to think about the flexibility. And with this new bill, and the legislation around it, start thinking about that now and thinking about your people that are there. So I think, a lot of the time, it's difficult to open up that conversation with an employee that is struggling. But we all see the signs. And it's about talking to your employees, having that open culture. And then them coming to you to say, perhaps, "Can I have some flexibility with my working hours?" It could be a flexible start/finish, a longer lunch hour if they need to go and look after that person. But I think the advice is to be open to implementing a new policy that looks at today but, also, looks at the guidelines and the legislation. Obviously, Jason's just gone into quite a lot of detail about what the legislation is proposing. So it's thinking about that now, as a business, so that you know what to do in the future.
Amy Rosoman (07:25):
Thank you so much, Helen. That was a brilliant answer. Hopefully, that's really helpful as well for everybody on the call today. We are moving through things quite quickly, just because we do want to try and get some more time for the Q&As later. So next up, it'd be really great, Jason, again, if we can share a latest update on neonatal care, leave and pay.
Jason Govindji-Bruce (07:50):
Yep, no problem at all. So this one, obviously, there again, I'll go through the legal stances on how it's eligible and when it must be taken. So this provides care, starts from 28 days after the birth of a child, and must be taken within a 68-week period of when that care commences. So there are provisions around that. There are some conditions around eligibility in regards to how long the individual had to have been employed. Which, at the moment, by the relevant week, it's 26 weeks of employment. And it follows the same provisions in regards to statutory pay. So the entitlement affords the individual 12 weeks of leave, and that'll fall under statutory pay provisions that are currently in place.
(08:39):
Obviously, as the years go through, and whether the pay changes, that'll change. But, at the moment, it's £156.66, or 90% of average earnings, whichever is lower. I had to get that out. So, again, when you're looking at that and assessing it, it comes down to whether the individual is eligible, the time period in which they're taking it, and obviously it'll only then go around statutory provisions. Obviously, Helen will touch now on the HR side, outside of the legal side. But those are the provisions regarding the neonatal care.
Amy Rosoman (09:17):
Lovely, that's really, really helpful, Jason. Yeah, like you said, Helen, could you touch on how we can support employees during these complicated leave needs?
Helen Burrowes (09:26):
Yeah, so this is a really, really difficult conversation for businesses to have. And they can be unplanned conversations. So there are around 60,000 babies that are born at less than 37 weeks. So this is a really difficult time for parents, and also for employers to provide support to people. So I think what we need to be looking at is supporting the mother and the parent, or the parents, from the short-term and long-term perspective. Like I said before, this is unexpected, sometimes, absence. And it does have an impact both on the employee, but also on the business, and also colleagues picking up workload where the employee is unable to be at work. That's not the employee's priority at that time. They are facing their own challenges.
(10:36):
So I think it's about the business understanding and planning ahead for these eventualities, which is often quite challenging. But you've got not only the mental health side of things, but also you've got the potential performance and the business continuity. So, obviously, where an employee goes off for neonatal, when they come back to the business, I think it's important for the employer, and the line manager in particular, the person that's having the conversation with the employee, to actually ask, "How can we support you?" I think, a lot of the time, we are scared to say anything because we feel that we might upset the employee or say the wrong thing. This is a massive emotional time for both of the parents that are going through this, and the family members.
(11:42):
So it's about training your line managers to be able to have some of those conversations. Reaching out to your HR people for support to understand what you can say. Ask that question to the employee, "How can we support you?" They know better than anyone how they want to be treated. If you have resources, like your health insurances or your EAP, your Employee Assistance Programmes, you can talk to them about those resources that are available to them so that they can help with some of the challenges, their mental health, and what they're going through.
(12:27):
I think it's also good to understand, and be open as a business, so that other people understand how people are feeling. We often get that scenario, where somebody's been out of the business for some time. And when they return to work, other people, their colleagues say, "I don't know what to say." So, sometimes, by having that open culture where everybody is aware... Obviously, there is the confidentiality and the sensitivities of these matters. But going back to what I said a few moments ago, ask the employee how they want to be supported, how they want to come back into the business. Do they want people to communicate with them? Or do they just want to come back into the business and get on as before? This work environment.
(13:15):
There can be other areas that the company can support through their entitlements. They may have enhanced holiday or other schemes, flexible hours. We are talking about people's mental health here. So whether they return to work, are they able to do full-time hours, if they have additional caring responsibilities for their family. And things have changed dramatically for them. Ask them to put in a flexible working request to perhaps adjust their hours to accommodate their caring responsibilities.
(13:59):
So I think it goes back to having trained line managers, the resources internally. You have your policy and procedures. Are they statutory? Are they enhanced? I think these are all the types of questions that businesses can ask themselves. Do they have fully trained line managers to deal with these things? Now, line managers are saying, "Hey, I haven't got the training to deal with this. I'm not medically trained." These are all experiences that I've experienced in my working life, where line managers have come to me and said, "But I'm not trained." These are people. What we do, as a business, is we provide resources, like Employee Assistance Programme, like your health benefits, and all of those kinds of processes. That support from your line manager, almost the arm around somebody to say, "We are backing you. We are here for you." So it's that kind of approach that I think businesses can follow. But absolutely go back to your policy, where Jason... Again, it's talking about the entitlements. It's important to have a policy in place so that everybody is treated fairly and you have the same approach across that business. Okay?
Amy Rosoman (15:27):
Thank you so much, Helen. That was such a detailed answer. I think what follows on quite nicely now is we'd really like to open the floor a bit. And ask everyone, on a scale from one to 10, how you think your employees feel supported in sensitive situations? So if you can just pop in the chat. One is feeling not very supported and 10 is feeling incredibly supported. We'd just like to gauge where people are at. So if you could add those to the chat, that would be great.
(16:00):
I can see there's a lot going on in the Q&A as well. I believe some people have asked for the slides afterwards but we're not doing a slide presentation this time round. This will be available on demand, this webinar, so please watch out for that. Okay, cool. I can see some numbers. Thank you. I think the chat's down. I can see them in the Q&A. We've got quite a lot of sevens, a couple of sixes, quite a lot of eights, so this is nice to see. Got a nine. A few low marks too, so fours and fives. Okay, that's interesting. Helen and Jason, what do you think about that? What would be your recommendations to people to try and get those numbers up?
Helen Burrowes (17:06):
Shall I go first? I think to get the numbers up, it is about communicating the policies that you have in place. Sometimes, if you haven't got your staff handbook, or you haven't got your policies in a central area, employees don't know what they're entitled to. I think, also, in this current market, where we are facing attraction retention issues, the labour market's quite tricky at the moment. And people are resistant to moving around. It's about enhancing, where you can, in your business, the entitlements, the benefits that you offer, so that people do feel engaged. They feel that this is a great place to work. "I feel supported by my company." It's that kind of relationship.
(18:08):
I think we've all seen over COVID that people's mindsets have changed in regards to work. The requirement is to be more flexible and allow that time. A lot of industries, when we were in COVID, people were able to see their families a lot more within reason. And within the boundaries of the legislation at the time. So I think businesses just need to be looking at their processes, communicating the processes, looking at their employee value proposition, and their values, their company values, the practices within their business. But, also, training up their line managers. And really having that holistic, cultural, family friendly practice.
Jason Govindji-Bruce (18:58):
I think, for myself, when I'm speaking to clients, the biggest... There's always this fear around what they can say to employees. Because there is this fear with tribunal cases, and since tribunal claims are free for employees to go after. And one of the biggest things I try to instill in our clients is the confidence to actually address these conversations, obviously raised in the right manner. Because, at the end of the day, we're all human. If you look at by the time someone's getting ready for work, travelling to work, and doing their work, probably about 40% to 50% of our working days are revolving around work in some form or capacity. So managers and business owners having the confidence to be able to have these conversations with staff members. And having that open door policy. And having that environment where staff feel comfortable raising matters or coming to them proactively.
(19:51):
But, as well, making sure managers and owners actually do broach the subject. That they're not scared of turning around and asking people, "How are you feeling?" Or, "How are you doing?" And then making sure that that is the culture that they're nurturing. Because there is a lot of fear about tribunals and how it can all go wrong. But that shouldn't make it for the line managers, or the owners of a business, to not have these frank conversations. Because, at the end of the day, that's sometimes what people need is just an honest conversation. So that's the biggest takeaway I'd ask people on this webinar to do is just, if you're not confident, why are you not confident? And if it's because you're fearful of what may happen and what might be said, obviously, absolutely take advice. But make sure your processes are in place but make sure you are having those conversations and building that culture.
Amy Rosoman (20:42):
Thank you, both. Some really great takeaways there. We'll roll back into the questions now because I can see there's quite a lot of QAs coming in thick and fast, so we do want to try and get to them. We caught up, actually, this week, because Jason made a good point. There's been some updates to the protection from redundancy. So we did want to share that today. Jason, if I could hand over to yourself?
Jason Govindji-Bruce (21:07):
Yes. So this is always an interesting one because the laws have already been in place for quite some time. So they're registered under The Maternity and Parental Leave Regulations et cetera of 1999. Don't ask me why the last bit was et cetera. I think someone in parliament just ran out of head space and decided to latch that onto the end. But in the past, the protection was afforded to individuals on shared parental leave and maternity leave. That's now been extended to the point of when an employee lets their employer know that they're pregnant, for the period that they're maternity or shared parental leave, and for six months upon their return.
(21:43):
Now, the interesting... I say interesting because I find it interesting, and Helen probably would, but others might not, is there's a lot of case law around this. In particular, around redundancy processes and restructure processes. So in one case, a woman was actually favoured on a scoring matrix, where there was a direct reduction of headcount. She was more favourably treated than a male employee, based on the scoring matrix. Now, the male employee then sued for sex discrimination and was successful in that. Because the scope of what the employment appeal tribunal stated is that the employer went far beyond what the regulations required. They treated her too favourably, when compared to the male.
(22:25):
Now, obviously, that creates its own legal obligations. Because, on the other case law, women should be given first choice when there's suitable alternative employment, where the terms and conditions are relatively the same. And, again, there's a case law where two rules have been amalgamated and an interview process was undertaken. The male was provided with the role because they were more qualified, but the tribunals found that, actually, based on their regulations, she should have been afforded it because it was a suitable alternative. So she should have got first choice. So, unfortunately, it's a bit of a minefield, depending on the case law and depending on the circumstances. And employers do have to juggle that. And they have to be aware of what they are doing. That they're not going beyond the scope of the regulations and going too far. But, also, that they're not being discriminatory to the females, based on the regulations and the protections afforded.
Amy Rosoman (23:21):
Thank you, Jason. Quite a lot of information there but all very helpful. So please do reach out if you've got any questions on this webinar. Helen, I think, perhaps, from a workplace culture perspective, this is quite a big one. What are your thoughts on this?
Helen Burrowes (23:40):
So from a cultural perspective, again, it's having that open culture within the business, where people are talking and they're communicating. Employees continue not to report when they are pregnant because they're fearful for their jobs. They feel that they may not receive a promotion because of it. So there's still that potential discrimination within the business, or that perception that there is. So it's really important that employers are... Reach out to your HR professionals when you are looking at any redundancy situation or any restructure. Because, like Jason said, it's really complicated. It's really challenging. And with case law coming out, you feel like it's balanced but it's down to your process. So I think it's really important, like I say, open and transparent organisation. And just to make sure that employees feel supported so that you haven't got that potential discrimination. Someone's on the back foot because they feel that they're working in a culture where they, potentially, are being discriminated against.
(25:04):
I think it is really important, going back to making sure that your flexible working works well within the business. When people are returning from maternity leave, that they have appropriate return to work interviews. If there are promotions being had either during pregnancy, during maternity, when they're returning back into the workplace, that they're treated fairly. And not just disregarded because they're out of sight, as it were, if they're on maternity leave. So make sure that you are continually having your keeping in touch days. Or that you're communicating with your people all the way through that process. So that you're not in a situation where, potentially, somebody could say that they've been treated unfairly and discriminated against because there was a promotion, because something, a redundancy, or a restructure. And they feel that they were overlooked.
(26:11):
I think we are making really good progress. We have hit... I say, we, there has been a 20 year high of mothers returning back into employment. And that's supported by a lot of the processes that we're doing as businesses. So that's flexible working, people feeling engaged. Having the appropriate keeping in touch days when people are on maternity leave so they feel really valued. And they're kept informed whilst people are on their leave. So, again, it's just communicating and having those policies, embracing everybody within the business. And looking at your practises, training your line managers. But, also, absolutely speak to your HR professionals, whether that's your internal team or your HR consultants, like ourselves, to look at each individual scenario. You can't look at it from a broad perspective. And then we can then help you with some of those challenges and keep the business safe. Okay?
Amy Rosoman (27:28):
Wonderful. Yeah, thank you so much, Jason and Helen. I think this goes quite nicely into one of the bigger parts of today. It's covering current updates on the Miscarriage Leave Bill and the Fertility Treatment Bill, which is still going through the House of Commons. So, Jason, it would be great if you could share an update on the webinar, please?
Jason Govindji-Bruce (27:56):
Yeah, absolutely. I will caveat with what I say here, the fact that it's only at... Each of these are only at second reading in the House of Commons. There's still about six or seven steps for each one to go through in order to gain royal assent to become laws. But at the moment, with the Miscarriage Leave Bill, at the moment, what is in the provisions, or in the regulations, is that there's going to be three days of statutory bereavement pay. And it's a loss of pregnancy during the 24-week gestation period. So, obviously, again, the eligibility for that provision will be factored in.
(28:34):
Now, some of the wording within the Miscarriage Leave Bill gives us the scope and inference that it will be open to males and females because it does reference parents. So whether that provision is more clarified as it goes through the next stages in the House of Commons, and then through the House of Lords, we'll have to wait and see. Obviously, like any type of bill, it's open to interpretation. But the fact that within the bill they've labelled parents, gives me scope to believe that it will be for the female and the males, both parents, if a miscarriage occurs.
(29:08):
For the Fertility Bill, again, that's at the same stage with the second reading. And is very open to interpretation on how it may change down the line. But in regards to that's where an individual is able to take time off. The first appointment, the employer cannot ask for proof. However, second appointment onwards, the bill has given provisions that the employer can ask for proof that the individual is undergoing fertility treatment. The pay will be at the normal hourly pay, so that will be paid. And then there is a scope that it has to be appointed by the practitioners. And that's where then, from the second appointment onwards, the employer is able to ask for proof that they are actually attending these during working hours. So that's what we know at the moment.
(29:57):
Like I said, the caveat with any of these bills at such an early stage is they can get changed, torn apart, lots added, amended, especially when it hits the House of Lords. Because, obviously, they'll have a different approach with bills when it comes to the ethical side, business stance, as opposed to what happens in the House of Commons when that debates.
Amy Rosoman (30:22):
Thank you, Jason. Do you have any thoughts on when you think things could be moving on these at all?
Jason Govindji-Bruce (30:32):
That's like asking how long's a piece of string? I think with the miscarriages already was due to be sat in March or April this year and it's already been pushed back. So it comes down to the events that occur. Obviously, we've got a couple of by-elections that's going on, potentially more down the line, with different constituents. Potentially, an election next year. Whether the government tried to push it through in that time period, it remains to be seen. The simple answer is I don't know. I know some people are scared of saying I don't know, but I literally don't know in this case.
Amy Rosoman (31:07):
Thank you, Jason. It's much appreciated. And as everyone knows, this is a pretty tricky subject. So I'd love to hand over to Helen to talk a bit about what SMEs and HR can be actively doing to support their employees, and the business, during these tricky times.
Helen Burrowes (31:29):
Okay. So yeah, it goes back to what we've been speaking about. So having a culture where people are open to talk these things through. Obviously, with these potential new legislation, it is worth, as a business, looking at how you currently treat miscarriage, and people that are having fertility treatment to provide the appropriate support. If you don't have a policy in place currently, then it might be worth just looking at a policy to help so that employees understand what to do in these kind of scenarios. And to understand what is available to them. Going through miscarriage is really very difficult for an employee and the family around them as well. Where you've got people that are pregnant within the workplace, you do have a duty of care to look after them from a medical condition, but also from a health and safety, specifically if they have a certain job.
(32:47):
So when you're talking to your employees, have a return to work interview, when the employees is fit to return. And talk about the support that they need. And, perhaps, put them on some adjusted duties to help embed them back into the business. Again, ask your employee, "How can we support you?" I do get a lot of line managers that do say, "But I don't want to pry." You're not prying, you are supporting somebody. If they had a cold, they would come back into the business, "How can we support you?" It could be a reoccurring matter. So I think it's really important to provide that support.
(33:33):
And I think, also, as part of your sickness absence policy, look at if people are absent due to one of these medical conditions, or the treatment that they're going through, look at your triggers. And consider if you can treat those triggers, your absence trigger levels, and treat them separately, to ensure that you are not disadvantaging your people going through these difficult times. Obviously, you have your Employee Assistance Programme which are relatively reasonably priced. And you may have any enhanced health support available to you.
(34:19):
With regards to fertility and IVF, there may be some conditions that the employee needs from you. And these are quite sensitive. I've been in situations before where people have asked me for a confidential area where they can administer their medication. Which, for those of you that you don't know, it's an injection. Doing it in the toilets, not really appropriate, not very sanitary. Having an area where they can put their treatments, that's generally in a fridge. Those kinds of things that you can then ensure that that employee feels very supported whilst they're at work. If they don't feel supported at work while they're going through this treatment, they could go off sick. And that's not good for them, that's not good for the business. We all say that coming to work is good for our mental health and it gives us a purpose. So it's really important, again, just to make sure that you're fully engaged with that. I know, Jason, you wanted to have a few words, didn't you, about being open and transparent in regards to your miscarriage processes? And awareness within the business.
Jason Govindji-Bruce (35:40):
Yeah. I'm seeing on the chat or on the Q&A, I can see a lot of people asking about different scenarios. Obviously, it all comes down to interpretation. But these bills that are coming into effect are the minimum requirements that an employer needs to do. Obviously, as an employer, if you go above and beyond, that is obviously great from a HR practise point of view, if you're in that position to do it. But these bills are setting out the minimum expectations. And what we've also got to remember, whilst the bill sets out minimum expectations, not everyone will conform to what is needed.
(36:12):
So Helen there touched on there, and I've been quite open with regards to my mental health. You'll see on LinkedIn, anyone that adds me today, but also myself and my wife, last January, we suffered a miscarriage. Now, the way we dealt with that is we carried on and we powered through and that was our distraction. Other people may need the time off to recover and to deal with that. Other people might want to power through and distract themselves. So you've got to look at the scenario of how that individual is best placed in regards to dealing with situations. So it's a case of having that conversation because you don't know what that person needs that is going through that. It could be they want to power through. And they just need, every so often, 10 minutes to go get a brew and have a bit of time to themselves. Maybe they do need that time off because it has had a substantial impact on their mental health.
(37:03):
So don't try to bottle every scenario into one size fits all because not everyone is the same. They'll want different approaches. Some people would want the hugs and the cuddles. Other people will want the shot of whiskey, as you see behind me. Who knows? It's about catering your approach. But also going back to what I said earlier, don't be afraid of having those human conversations. They're not as scary as we think. The news and the media have got a lot to answer in regards to the negativity and the scare factor. It's not like that in the real world. Just have those honest human conversations with your teams if they're going through situations.
Helen Burrowes (37:46):
Yeah, definitely. And I think we've said it a few times during these sessions, it's about having that open environment where people feel safe. People feel safe to talk. Some people would rather read a policy to understand their entitlements. And then they can go and say to their manager or their HR team, "This is my option." As businesses, it is challenging with statutory, with enhanced policies that give additional pay or additional time off above the statutory minimums. It's about affordability. Sometimes, look at your business, and look at the flexibility that you can provide. That could be less of a cost impact to your business, but could, again, be that, "My company cares for me because they are taking into consideration my personal needs." So go back to, "How can we help you?" And then the employee can open up as much or as little as they feel they need to.
Amy Rosoman (38:57):
Wonderful. Thank you so much, Helen and Jason, for being really open and transparent. I think it's really reassuring to hear for others on this webinar. I'm aware we are flying away with time, so I would love to get to the Q&As that we've got in here and then we'll be able to wrap up. So we've had a question from Jane. She asked, "Does the week have to be taken in one go or can it be broken up into days?" I believe that was for the carers leave, Jason?
Jason Govindji-Bruce (39:27):
Yes, I believe so. So the provisions, the bill does make reference to a non-continuous period. So the interpretation from my end there is that it can be broken up. Obviously, it's one week of what the person works. So if they work five days a week, they'll get the five days per rolling 12 month period. So that's where the interpretation is on that side.
Amy Rosoman (39:52):
Great, thank you. That's really helpful. And then someone else has asked... Helen, you might be able to help a bit on this one. Claire said, "If you can only take one week with this bill, is that really enough to retain staff who have care responsibilities?"
Helen Burrowes (40:12):
Potentially, it could. Potentially, you might need to look at other ways to support that person. So you might want to consider a bit of flexibility, or other enhanced or leave policies that you have within the business. Some organisations provide a sabbatical so people can take time off. I think it's just about exploring all those different options to help with those scenarios. And maybe it could be a temporary adjustment for a short period of time to help to support that caring responsibility at that time.
Amy Rosoman (41:00):
Thank you, Helen. Hopefully, that is helpful. And then we've got from Lisa... And, Jason, hopefully you can help on this. "Does the neonatal care apply to adoptive parents?"
Jason Govindji-Bruce (41:13):
So throughout the bill, it makes reference to eligibility, and adoptive leave and adoptive pay is listed in there. So, again, the interpretation is that it would be applicable to those that are adopting as well because I wouldn't see why it would be in the bill if that's not the interpretation of, and the intention of, the bill. So I would say yes, that would apply as well.
Amy Rosoman (41:35):
Wonderful, thank you. And then, again, in regards to neonatal leave, "What is the pay for this? Is this statutory?"
Jason Govindji-Bruce (41:45):
It will be, yes. It'll be in line with statutory pay provisions.
Amy Rosoman (41:49):
Perfect. Thank you very much. And someone else has asked, "We already offer five days of paid leave for employees caring for others. We had a case recently where this wasn't enough. And it's been difficult to manage within a small team, as there's a massive impact on others and workload. Any advice would be helpful." Helen, could you share a bit of insight onto that one?
Helen Burrowes (42:14):
So that goes down to not having the resources, perhaps, in the business, is that what we're saying? So it may well be that you need to look at your job programmes, and perhaps do move around some tasks, perhaps. Look at priorities. If there's a manager within the department, then it might be worth them going in and just having a look to see what tasks can be prioritised. Was that around that question, Amy? I did listen, it's just taking it all in.
Amy Rosoman (42:54):
Yeah, no, I think that's really helpful. Hopefully, that's helped Patti. And I'm aware we are just running over time so I know there's a couple more questions. Someone's asked what the best sites are online to find policies that show the most recent changes? Is that the GOV website, Jason?
Jason Govindji-Bruce (43:14):
Yeah, you can either search the GOV website, and it'll give you updates, and you can choose which fields you want to be updated on. There are a couple of other sites that are quite useful, and Helen might potentially use them as well or use other ones. But People Management is a good website, and Personnel Today is another that I use myself. It keeps you up to date with the soft HR side as well as any legislation changes that can impact businesses. So have a look at them if you need any updates.
Amy Rosoman (43:45):
Wonderful. That's really helpful. Thank you. I'm just going to share one more slide. So this is just for everyone. We have got an employment law hub on our website. And we've actually got some content we've worked with Jason on, on here. And this webinar will be available on there too. We...
(44:07):
Wonderful. Thank you very much to Helen and Jason for joining us today. Hopefully, everyone's had some takeaways from this. Again, you can find Helen and Jason on LinkedIn, so please do reach out. They are very friendly, as you can tell. I hope everyone has a brilliant day. Thanks so much for joining. Take care.
