If you find out that you are pregnant, firstly congratulations! KGH ensure that, as far as possible, you are able to combine your career and family responsibilities. This page sets out the statutory information, and demonstrates our commitment to encouraging family life.
Statutory Maternity Leave is 52 weeks. It is made up of:
Ordinary Maternity Leave (OML) - first 26 weeks
Additional Maternity Leave (AML) - last 26 weeks
You do not have to take 52 weeks but you must take a minimum of 2 weeks' leave after your baby is born.
Usually, the earliest you can start your leave is 11 weeks before the expected week of childbirth.
Leave will also start:
the day after the birth if your baby is early
automatically if you're off work for a pregnancy-related illness in the 4 weeks before the week that your baby is due
When you receive medical confirmation that you are pregnant, you should notify your Line Manager of this, the expected week of childbirth (EWC) and the date on which you want or expect to begin maternity leave. On notification of your pregnancy your Line Manager will arrange an informal meeting and will discuss:
Your ordinary maternity leave and additional maternity leave, including the requirements for you to give appropriate notice.
Discuss returning to work after maternity leave together with any potential opportunities for flexible working.
The process for arrangements for time off, any possible health and safety concerns and arrange for a risk assessment to be carried out.
Your entitlements to payment during maternity leave.
The need to provide your Line Manager with a MATB1 form after your 20th week of pregnancy issued by your medical practitioner responsible for your maternity care.
Before starting maternity leave you will be informed of the arrangements for covering your work and how best to remain in contact whilst you are on leave. These arrangements will be finalised with you.
You are entitled to take time off during your normal working hours to receive antenatal care, however we do ask to try and arrange your appointments at the start or end of your working day, whenever possible. Antenatal care includes:
appointments with your midwife
GP appointments for anything pregnancy related
hospital clinics
antenatal classes
You may be required to produce an appointment card or some other document confirming all appointments other than your first. You should advise your Line Manager that you will be absent as far in advance of your appointment as possible. There will be no deduction from your salary for attendance at authorised ante-natal appointments, including any time spent travelling to and waiting for the appointment.
Maternity leave will automatically start if you are absent from work with a pregnancy-related illness in the 4 weeks before the week your baby is due.
If you are absent at any other time during your pregnancy with a pregnancy-related illness, this will be classed as sickness absence, although this will be ignored for the purpose of the absence management trigger system.
If you are absent during your pregnancy with a non pregnancy-related illness, this will also be classed as sickness absence but will count towards the absence management trigger system.
You should follow the normal absence reporting procedure in both cases.
If you give birth before your ordinary maternity leave has started, your OML period will begin on the day that follows childbirth. You will need to let your Line Manager know as soon as you can that you have given birth and the date your baby was born.
If you have at least 26 weeks’ service at the start of the 15th week before your child is born you will normally be entitled to receive statutory maternity pay (SMP) whether or not you intend to return to work.
You will be entitled to SMP if you fulfil the following criteria:
You have given 28 days’ notice of your maternity leave (unless with good reason).
You have provided medical evidence with a form (MATB1)
You have been employed continuously for 26 weeks up to and including the Qualifying Week (the 15th week before the EWC).
Your average weekly earnings are at least equal to the lower earnings limit for National Insurance (NI) purposes in the relevant period.
You (if eligible) will be entitled to SMP for a period of 39 weeks at the following rate:
For the first 6 weeks, at the rate of 90 percent of normal weekly earnings; and
For the remaining 33 weeks, either 90 percent of normal weekly earnings or the standard rate of SMP, whichever of these is lower. SMP is paid at a rate set by the Government for the relevant tax year.
If you are not eligible for SMP you may be entitled to claim Maternity Allowance (MA), which is payable directly by the Government.
Payment of SMP cannot start prior to the 11th week before the colleague’s EWC.
Your maternity pay will be paid into your bank account on the same date that you would have received your salary and will be subject to the usual deductions for tax, National Insurance and pension contributions.
For more information and advice, visit the Gov.uk website.
Changes to Ordinary Maternity Leave (OML) or Additional Maternity Leave (AML) can be made provided that 8 weeks’ notice is given before the date originally notified. This should be discussed with your Line Manager. The Company will respond in writing.
During your maternity leave we may need to contact you at some points to keep you informed of any business changes, therefore you must keep the company informed of any change of address and other contact details. Both you and the Company can initiate contact during the maternity period (for example to discuss your return to work or potential work-related issues that may concern you) - therefore such contact will not bring the maternity leave period to an end.
You will continue to receive your contractual benefits during your ordinary maternity leave period and the additional maternity leave period.
While on ordinary and additional maternity leave both your contractual holiday entitlement and your statutory holiday entitlement under the Working Time Regulations continue to accrue.
You cannot take annual leave during maternity leave. You should instead take any untaken annual leave before and/or after your maternity leave. You cannot be paid in lieu of any untaken statutory annual leave unless your contract is terminated. It is possible to take paid holiday leave immediately after your maternity leave once your maternity pay has stopped.
If you are part of the Company’s Pension Scheme, whilst on paid maternity leave, your pension contributions will be processed as normal.
Whilst on additional or unpaid maternity leave, employer contributions will carry on as normal. For further information, please contact your Payroll department.
You are entitled to work for up to 10 days during your maternity leave without affecting your eligibility to SMP.
These days could be for training, or just for ‘keeping in touch’. You are under no obligation to work these days, and the Company are under no obligation to offer you these days.
If you have a Company car you are entitled to retain the private use of the Company car, as if you were still at work, subject to certain conditions:-
You will continue to be responsible for the car as if you were actually at work ensuring that the car is serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.
If you decide not to return to work, the Company car must be returned at the end of your notice period.
Any contributions you have elected to pay can either be paid during your maternity leave period or be made up on your return. If you do not return you must pay any outstanding contributions on leaving the company.
If you receive the car cash allowance you will continue to be paid this during the total Maternity Leave period.
If you wish to return to work before your maternity leave has ended then you must give at least eight weeks’ notice of the date on which you intend to return.
If you return to work immediately after a period of ordinary maternity leave, you will return to work in the same job that you left. If you return to work from a period of additional maternity leave you will return to the job in which you were employed before, however, if that is not reasonably practicable for the company, then you will return to another job which is both suitable and appropriate in the circumstances and on terms and conditions no less favourable then before maternity leave. In accordance with statutory requirements, where job losses are unavoidable, you will be given first consideration for any suitable alternative employment that may arise.
At least two weeks before you are due to return to work, you may be invited for an informal meeting with your Line Manager in order to discuss any material points concerning your return to work. These include:
updating you on developments at work
considering whether any retraining needs have arisen, because of staleness or new technical or other developments.
providing you with the opportunity of indicating whether you wish to be considered for flexible working.
Failure to return to work by the end of your maternity leave will be treated as an unauthorised absence unless you have notified us that you are sick and produce a current medical certificate before the end of the maternity leave period.
If annual salary reviews occur during your period of absence, you will be notified of your reviewed salary at this time.