Term time working /unpaid leave

[24587594]

Does anyone have any experience of applying for term time working or unpaid leave? We have just relocated and have no family nearby to help with childcare (aged 5 and 11), I am the last person in and so Easter and summer holidays already all booked up for next year. Should I be able to get unpaid leave in the short term to cover childcare? How common is term time working - if at all - in the Royal Mail?

Thanks,
Brian

[ninjaposty]

Your basically allowed by employment law to take up to 4 weeks per year parental leave.Anything more is up to your managers.My advice would be to locate a child minder which may work out cheaper than unpaid leave.

[gluteus maximus]

As far as i am aware a child has to be under 5 to qualify for parental leave

[newtimes]

I was in the same position as you, phone HR and ask for the up to date position of term time work, there is a form to fill in. You were allowed up to 13 weeks (go for 13 and let them ask you to only take 8), and your basic pay is reduced but when on leave you still get a wage, very similar to buying extra weeks off. This is far cheaper than paying a child minder to care for your children. Do it now as it must be in by February I think. Down side you will not be popular and if refused, put an appeal in, HR really wants to deliver this "product" unless they have changed the concept. Do not let the manager bully you, they must complete within 3 weeks, if you are the first person in your place of work, you will get it. Some of your co workers will not be happy, it took a long time for my workplace to accept and now others are asking for my advice and are very keen to get it. Forgot to say, when it ends you are not guaranteed your hours back.

[dvbuk55]

Does anyone have any experience of applying for term time working or unpaid leave? We have just relocated and have no family nearby to help with childcare (aged 5 and 11), I am the last person in and so Easter and summer holidays already all booked up for next year. Should I be able to get unpaid leave in the short term to cover childcare? How common is term time working - if at all - in the Royal Mail?

Thanks,
Brian

Are you a single parent?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Does anyone have any experience of applying for term time working or unpaid leave? We have just relocated and have no family nearby to help with childcare (aged 5 and 11), I am the last person in and so Easter and summer holidays already all booked up for next year. Should I be able to get unpaid leave in the short term to cover childcare? How common is term time working - if at all - in the Royal Mail?

Thanks,
Brian

Are you a single parent?

Does that really matter to us, unless it has a bearing on the advice you are giving. It may be beneficial for them to share the responsibility or the partner may be the greater breadwinner, or perhaps quality time with the family is the main concern. Its all peripheral to the question, worthy of debate I have no doubt, but perhaps not in a thread asking for advice rather than opinions.

[dvbuk55]

Does anyone have any experience of applying for term time working or unpaid leave? We have just relocated and have no family nearby to help with childcare (aged 5 and 11), I am the last person in and so Easter and summer holidays already all booked up for next year. Should I be able to get unpaid leave in the short term to cover childcare? How common is term time working - if at all - in the Royal Mail?

Thanks,
Brian

Are you a single parent?

Does that really matter to us, unless it has a bearing on the advice you are giving. It may be beneficial for them to share the responsibility or the partner may be the greater breadwinner, or perhaps quality time with the family is the main concern. Its all peripheral to the question, worthy of debate I have no doubt, but perhaps not in a thread asking for advice rather than opinions.

Well it may have been brief but I thought it might add weight to the case

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

heres the statutory rights:

https://www.gov.uk/parental-leave/entitlement" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

1. Overview
Eligible employees can take unpaid parental leave to look after their child’s welfare, eg to:

spend more time with their children
look at new schools
settle children into new childcare arrangements
spend more time with family - eg visiting grandparents
Their employment rights (like the right to pay, holidays and returning to a job) are protected during parental leave.



2. Entitlement
Parental leave is unpaid. The child must be under 5 (or 18 in special circumstances).

Child Entitlement
For each child 18 weeks up to their 5th birthday
For each adopted child 18 weeks up to their 18th birthday or 5th anniversary of their adoption, whichever comes first
For each child who qualifies for Disability Living Allowance 18 weeks up to their 18th birthday
The limit on how much parental leave can be taken a year is 4 weeks (unless the employer agrees otherwise).

Unless an employer agrees otherwise, or the child is disabled, leave should be taken in blocks of one week.

A ‘week’ equals the length of time an employee normally works in a week.

Example

If an employee works 3 days a week, one ‘week’ of parental leave equals 3 days. If an employee works irregular weeks the number of days in a ‘week’ is the total number of days they work a year divided by 52.

[24587594]

I was in the same position as you, phone HR and ask for the up to date position of term time work, there is a form to fill in. You were allowed up to 13 weeks (go for 13 and let them ask you to only take 8), and your basic pay is reduced but when on leave you still get a wage, very similar to buying extra weeks off. This is far cheaper than paying a child minder to care for your children. Do it now as it must be in by February I think. Down side you will not be popular and if refused, put an appeal in, HR really wants to deliver this "product" unless they have changed the concept. Do not let the manager bully you, they must complete within 3 weeks, if you are the first person in your place of work, you will get it. Some of your co workers will not be happy, it took a long time for my workplace to accept and now others are asking for my advice and are very keen to get it. Forgot to say, when it ends you are not guaranteed your hours back.

That's an excellent reply, many thanks for your help!

Cheers,
Brian.

[Thunderthighs]

Weve got someone who does O/T and gets Childcare time off. Summer Hold, Easter, 1/2 term etc.

I read up on it, as there was a well known case of a lady solicitor, whos employers werent happy with here taking time off for childcare.
The case set a precedent I belive, in legal terms of requesting/getting time off. This was only a few yrs ago or so.
I think the way I read it its: Employers have a duty of care type responsibility for...
A child under 16yrs, a disabled child under 18yrs or a relative whos disabled and you're the main carer.
However, I "think" its more open that this, in that if you are the Sole Carer, ie. A single Parent, I think the goal posts can be stretched a bit, since the legal case above.

Sorry if Ive repeated anything said above, but it seems to be the situation as I see it.

On a personal note, I applied for Family Friendly hours for a disabled relative, and was informed I wasnt eligable - I beg to differ!
But, working more flexible hours has helped enormously, so just hope yer Boss is a good un, like ours.

[gluteus maximus]

i think you will find the above is only applicable if you are applying for Flexible working patterns if you are a carer.
Your employer can refuse a request for flexible working if it’s not in the best interests of the business. This might be if: It would be too expensive, it may affect the quality or performance of the business, they cannot recruit additional required staff.

[celerycelery]

And if the manager refuses they have to inform you why they have refused it. If the answer is no because "if I gave you it then I'd have to give it to everyone else that asks" that's not good enough. The policy states everyone who applies should be treated individually.

[Thunderthighs]

I think the Legal challenge brought by the solicitor against her employers sets the standard for "us" to be able to ask, approach, request and get what is Legally entitled since her case. Its on the web, just search or enquire via Disabled associations.
Makes very interesting reading.

[opattyo]

I was in the same position as you, phone HR and ask for the up to date position of term time work, there is a form to fill in. You were allowed up to 13 weeks (go for 13 and let them ask you to only take 8), and your basic pay is reduced but when on leave you still get a wage, very similar to buying extra weeks off. This is far cheaper than paying a child minder to care for your children. Do it now as it must be in by February I think. Down side you will not be popular and if refused, put an appeal in, HR really wants to deliver this "product" unless they have changed the concept. Do not let the manager bully you, they must complete within 3 weeks, if you are the first person in your place of work, you will get it. Some of your co workers will not be happy, it took a long time for my workplace to accept and now others are asking for my advice and are very keen to get it. Forgot to say, when it ends you are not guaranteed your hours back.

That's an excellent reply, many thanks for your help!

Cheers,
Brian.

Hi Brian, Please could you let us know how you got on with your request, I'm in a similar position and will be looking to ask my manager or should I go in with the form first?

Many Thanks