Parental Leave

Parental leave is a period of up to 18 weeks unpaid leave for parents of children aged under 18.

You can take parental leave to look after your child’s welfare e.g. to:

• • Spend more time with your child(ren)

  • Look at new schools

  • Settle children into new childcare arrangements

  • Spend more time with family, such as visiting grandparents

  • Accompany your child during a hospital stay.

To be eligible for parental leave you must:

• • Have a minimum of one years’ continuous service with KGH by the time the parental leave is taken; and

  • Have, or expect to have, parental responsibility for the child.

If you are a foster parent, you are not eligible for parental leave unless you adopt the child you are fostering.

Parental leave is unpaid.

You are entitled to 18 weeks’ leave for each child and adopted child, up to their 18^th birthday.

The limit on how much parental leave you can take in a year is 4 weeks for each child. Requests for longer periods will be considered on an individual basis but, if granted, return to the same job cannot be guaranteed.

You must take parental leave as whole weeks (e.g. 1 week or 2 weeks) rather than individual days (if you are a parent of disabled children, multiples of days are acceptable).

Any parental leave that you take in relation to a child whilst working for another employer counts towards your 18 weeks’ entitlement.

You need to give 21 days' notice before the intended start date of leave.

If you or your partner are having a baby or adopting, it's 21 days before the week your baby or child is expected.

You need to confirm the start and end dates of your requested leave in your notice.

Kew Green can consider postponing a proposed period of parental leave for up to 6 months if the leave would unduly disrupt the business, for example:

• • If you wish to take parental leave during a peak period;

  • If a number of colleagues wish to take parental leave at the same time;

  • If your work is of importance to a time-critical project; or

  • Cover for your work cannot be found before the date your parental leave is due to start.

You don’t need to give any specific notice of your return from parental leave as your return date will have been agreed from the outset.

You will return to the same position you held before commencing leave on the same terms and conditions.

However, if your parental leave is longer than 4 weeks or was combined with a period of additional maternity, paternity or adoption leave, it may not be possible for you to return to your same position. If this is the case, Kew Green Hotels will offer you an alternative position.