Whilst the Equality Act 2010 legislation prohibits pregnancy and maternity discrimination, a survey conducted by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) found that:
• 10% of the 3,254 mothers surveyed said their employer discouraged them from attending antenatal appointments
• 20% said they had experienced harassment or negative comments related to pregnancy or flexible working from their employer
Despite employers being required to offer a range of options to parents and families to promote family friendly policies in the workplace, these findings, published in May 2018, clearly demonstrate the prevalence of pregnancy discrimination and signal that employers can and should be doing more to help people balance their work and personal life in a way that is flexible and fair.
Designed as a useful introduction for employment law practitioners who are not familiar with Family-friendly legislation, this bite-size session, delivered by lecturer Kathy Daniels, will provide viewers with an overview of the leave that exists in connection with the following family-friendly policies / areas:
• Maternity leave
• Paternity leave
• Parental leave
• Flexible working
• Time off for dependents
• Adoption leave
This session will later go on to examine some of the more complex issues such as surrogacy, fertility treatment and shared parental leave in greater detail, making it a great refresher for more experienced viewers who wish to hone the advice that they provide their clients, both employers and employees, regarding family-friendly policies.