When should your employees take maternity leave?

If you have ever had a pregnant employee you know that taking maternity requires some planning on both parties.Understanding pregnancy and the maternity leave calendar can help you better judge when your employees should take their maternity leave.There are things you can do throughout the entire process to make maternity leave time pleasant and planned for.The following are some things you as an employer can do to know when your employee should take maternity leave.

Stage 1:Prior to Pregnancy
There are things you need to consider before an employee actually takes maternity leave.These are some policies you should consider for employees who may become pregnant.
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• Before any issues come up with employees it is important to always prepare policies and procedures ahead of time.These can be included in a staff handbook or by holding staff meetings to inform employees about their rights. You will also need to decide whether you will offer more than what the minimum requirements are for maternity and pregnancy, or if you will keep to minimum requirements.Each company is different, and it will also depend on the needs of your employees.


• - Employing pregnant women carry's obvious risks for any business so it is important to carry out a risk assessment policy.Conditions or agents that could jeopardize their health or safety, and that of the baby are important things to consider.If risks are found it is your job to remove the risk and prevent exposure to it.Employees must be informed of all identified risks and the proper action take in order to eliminate and reduce them.


• - It is also a good idea to have a plan to prepare for key staff members taking maternity or extended maternity leave and the possibility of them not returning.

Stage 2: During Pregnancy
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• As soon as an employee informs you that she is pregnant it is a good idea to meet with her so you can provide her with information on maternity leave and flexible working policies.She needs to know what her rights are and you need to prepare yourself for maternity leave and need to know when to expect it.


• - As her employer you can ask her for a certificate from a registered medical practitioner stating that she is pregnant and her projected due date.You might also want to ask for appointment cards from her if she will be missing work to go to doctor's appointments.Knowing ahead of time will help you plan better.


• - You must carry out any specific risk assessment.If the employee's or the baby's health is at risk you must alter her working conditions or hours until the risk has been eliminated.If it cannot be avoided you must offer her an alternative form of work.If there is no alternative work for her to do then you must suspend her on full pay for as long as necessary to avoid the risk.

Stage 3:Maternity Leave
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• To be entitled to maternity leave, your employee must notify you by week 26 of the pregnancy and give you a specific time as to when she wants her maternity leave to start.


• - Communicate with your employee ahead of time before the leave commences.Keeping in touch during maternity leave is also important in case they want to use up their 10 days of maternity days work.Flexible work requests can take several weeks to resolve so start early.


• - Week 29 is the earliest an employee can start their maternity leave and she must give you correct notice.


• - An employee must give you 28 days notice if she wishes to claim her SMP.She must also give you medical evidence of her pregnancy.

It can be difficult to judge sometimes when an employee should take maternity leave so it is important during the whole pregnancy to communicate with them and always know what's going on.Being educated and informed about different maternity leave options can help you better judge when your employees should take maternity leave.