Uptake of Shared Parental Leave is still modest, research suggests

The uptake of Shared Parental Leave (SPL) is still modest among UK employees, a recent research study by Milners Solicitors has been able to suggest.

The research found that out of more than 56,000 people employed by some of the UK’s biggest private and public sector organisations, just 54 of them had taken up the option since it was launched in April 2015.

Bad practice uncovered by the research included several instances where there was no specific policy about SPL, or the change had simply been uploaded to a staff intranet that was not easily accessible to all employees.

However, the research also found examples of best practice where changes had been weaved into HR policies and shared proactively with staff – for example by gaining signatures to ensure employees had received and understood the new legislation.

The Milners research findings align with research conducted by Working Families, which found that almost half (48%) of fathers would choose not to use the scheme.

A third (37%) of those who would not use SPL said they could not afford to, citing the fact that statutory maternity pay and shared parental pay are not yet equal.

Time and attendance software can help companies manage shared parental leave

Managing changes brought about by the new shared parental leave rules will not come easy for a significant number of HR departments, but a comprehensive and user-friendly time and attendance software application that enables users to modify existing rules related to leave and pay in an easy and forward-looking manner could help, and this is specifically where Time and Attendance UK could put its extensive experience in this field to very good use.

Our flagship WinTA.NET integrated workforce management solution incorporates a dedicated Absence Planning and Entitlement Management feature.

Our comprehensive, yet user-friendly Time and Attendance software comes pre-loaded with graphical calendar charts that provide a colourful way of viewing an individual’s or a department’s absence records.

Each employee can be allocated different entitlements for absence, with specific rules set for every interval. As absence is booked and taken, the remainder available for each entitlement is updated. Entitlement formulae are used to calculate more complex entitlements calculated on a rising scale based upon length of service.

The Time and Attendance software within WinTA.NET supplies the relevant managers with information on employee’s absences through warning email notifications or via hardcopy reports. After that, the system would rapidly identify missing employees that are expected to be at work and then informs you via automatic email reporting reports distributed by email.

If you’d like to find out more about the Time and Attendance UK workforce management solutions, just contact our team or Book a Demo, we’ll be more than happy to answer all of your questions and queries.