Consultation on administration of shared parental leave

The consultation will look at how administering the new system will tie in with current arrangements for maternity/ adoption leave and paternity leave and is part of the government’s commitment to create a modern workplace.

The proposals for the new system of shared parental leave will allow parents to ask their employers for leave in any pattern that they wish. However, for small businesses any request for discontinuous periods of flexible parental leave is likely to result in an increase in the administrative burden of trying to balance the employee’s wishes with the employer’s business needs.

If an employer refuses to agree to an employee’s request for discontinuous leave, the default fall-back scheme will apply. Under this scheme, employees have to take their leave in one continuous block, which is similar to the current maternity/adoption leave and additional paternity leave rules.