In order to protect pregnant women, babies and new mothers, employers who fail to comply with employee maternity rights could be brought before a tribunal. Pregnant and post-natal women are protected under employee maternity rights from discriminatory treatment and it is incumbent on all employers to ensure that they allow eligible employees maternity leave and pay.

All companies should have a written procedure to ensure employee maternity rights are upheld. A well drafted employee maternity rights policy will help you balance the needs of parents with the commercial needs of your business. Failure to comply with employee maternity rights will entitle an unfairly or wrongly treated employee to bring a tribunal claim against your company. We can produce a policy, either as part of a staff handbook or as a stand-alone document, to deal with employee maternity rights which will help to ensure that staff appreciate the notification requirements and eligibility conditions for maternity leave and pay. A well drafted workplace policy on employee maternity rights will answer many common staff enquiries and provide appropriate and authoritative guidance on all aspects, from antenatal leave, morning sickness and employee maternity rights when returning to work.

For more information on employee maternity rights or any of the other services we provide to small business, please contact us. We would be delighted to help.