Parent's Leave is here

The Government’s newest way of enabling parents spend time with their new baby came into force on 1st November 2019. This is called Parent’s leave.

What you need to know:

• This leave is currently capped at 2 weeks. The leave must be used before the child turns 1. In cases of multiple births, this leave can only be claimed once.
• It can be taken as a continuous period of 2 weeks or in 2 separate 1 week blocks. 
• Parent’s leave must be taken following the end of maternity leave (paid or unpaid) or paternity leave – there cannot be a break between these leave types.
• Six weeks' notice of the intended use should be given to the employer by the employee.
• Employers are allowed postpone parent's leave in situations where taking this leave would have an adverse effect on the business. However, it cannot be postponed for more than 12 weeks.
• Parents receive a statutory payment, currently set at €245 per week (once they have the necessary PRSI contributions).

There is no requirement for employers to pay employees while on parent's leave. It will be up to each employer to decide if they want to top-up this payment. The advice would be to be consistent with approaches taken on the other family leave types.

What employers need to do now:

Company policies should now be reviewed and updated to reflect these changes. This will help you prepare for staff requests for parent’s leave. Should you get an employee request for parent’s leave, make sure you keep your paperwork & record keeping in order.

Bright Contracts has been updated with this policy so you can have peace of mind in knowing you are fully compliant with the new legislation.