Parental leave

Jemima1977 · 28-01-2019 11:46pm #1

Hi I'm a newbie, a mammy of two small boys. I have to go back to work soon and am looking for experiences of others when it comes to parental leave. Was your employer agreeable? Was your request for leave refused initially? How did you take the leave?

Thanks a lot,

linpoo · 29-01-2019 12:01am

My manager was very accomodating, I work in the civil service and they're very family friendly in my department.
I have been taking two days a week since i returned from maternity leave last year but reducing it to 1 day a week from March in order to stretch it out.

Jemima1977 · 29-01-2019 12:07am

Thank you, mine is a Scandinavian company but Dublin based, I am still on Maternity, I've to submit a formal request for PL.

nl2803 · 29-01-2019 12:24am

linpoo wrote:

My manager was very accomodating, I work in the civil service and they're very family friendly in my department. I have been taking two days a week since i returned from maternity leave last year but reducing it to 1 day a week from March in order to stretch it out.

Hi, I just got offered an EO job while I'm on maternity leave, don't currently work in the service but I was planning on taking PL with my current employer. Do you know if I can apply for it when I start or will I have to pass my probation first. Thanks

Cakerbaker · 29-01-2019 8:19am

I got to take mine while on probation in the civil service although it may depend on each department. I had worked about 6 months before going on maternity leave and started PL when I returned.

nl2803 · 29-01-2019 9:12am

Cakerbaker wrote:

I got to take mine while on probation in the civil service although it may depend on each department. I had worked about 6 months before going on maternity leave and started PL when I returned.

That's good to know, it's just bad timing for us, my husband is after getting a job with the HSE, Both due to start the same time, and the childcare cost for 3 kids is nearly 1 salary. Thanks

Cakerbaker · 29-01-2019 9:53am

https://circulars.gov.ie/pdf/circular/finance/2008/20.pdf

This is the circular. There is mention of a 3 month wait while on probation so that may be necessary depending on whether your dept insists on that. On the pay, while a lot will be eaten in childcare at the start, the increments go up yearly so that’ll help over time. From a family friendly workplace perspective it’s good, things like flexitime are brillinat.

Cakerbaker · 29-01-2019 9:55am

Oh and while the circular refers to 8 years, it’s been increased to 13 in the civil service.

shesty · 29-01-2019 10:59am

I believe you have to be employed by a company for a year before you can apply?That was my understanding?

Jemima1977 · 29-01-2019 5:58pm

Hi yes, I understand the same.

shesty · 29-01-2019 6:21pm

I think it's just at the employer's discretion then whether they grant it or how they grant it.I am going back shortly now, after my third, on a four day week, as I was with them just about 18 months when I had the baby.Thankfully my employer is good for allowing it.

Fina82 · 19-02-2019 5:19pm

linpoo wrote: »

My manager was very accomodating, I work in the civil service and they're very family friendly in my department.
I have been taking two days a week since i returned from maternity leave last year but reducing it to 1 day a week from March in order to stretch it out.

Hi, I am thinking in taking PL and I am also a civil servant. How much you pay got reduced if you don't mind me asking

linpoo · 19-02-2019 10:44pm

Fina82 wrote: »

Hi, I am thinking in taking PL and I am also a civil servant. How much you pay got reduced if you don't mind me asking

Im down roughly €300 gross and €190 net. I do have the SPCC tax credit though which is worth about €30 p.w.

Fina82 · 20-02-2019 9:13am

linpoo wrote: »

Im down roughly €300 gross and €190 net. I do have the SPCC tax credit though which is worth about €30 p.w.

Thanks for the info

Pawwed Rig · 20-02-2019 10:04am

shesty wrote: »

I think it's just at the employer's discretion then whether they grant it or how they grant it.I am going back shortly now, after my third, on a four day week, as I was with them just about 18 months when I had the baby.Thankfully my employer is good for allowing it.

I may be wrong but isn't parental leave a right? My understanding is that employers can have input to the timing but have to grant it.

shesty · 20-02-2019 10:26am

I think they have to grant it if they refuse it twice
Don't quote me, I haven't had a chance to check that!!

jlm29 · 20-02-2019 12:02pm

shesty wrote: »

I think they have to grant it if they refuse it twice
Don't quote me, I haven't had a chance to check that!!

I’m sure that’s true. They can refuse it initially, but ultimately have to give it to you. They can say how you take it though. I’ve known employers to refuse a day a week, and insist the leave is taken in large blocks, which makes it probhibitive for some people

ax530 · 20-02-2019 2:05pm

In my work has to be taken in block of 1 week at a time

Ciaram24 · 24-09-2019 12:24am

I got my parental leave in a huge block. I cant survive on no money. Anyone know what I can do. This is unfair on any grounds. Give you time to raise a family but can't earn either \

beauf · 24-09-2019 12:46am

jlm29 wrote: »

I’ve known employers to refuse a day a week, and insist the leave is taken in large blocks, which makes it probhibitive for some people

That was our experience also. It just made it unviable to work in some places.

Ciaram24 · 24-09-2019 1:03am

Is there any way around this. I cant understand how talking 22weeks won't effect the business but 1 days will.

ax530 · 24-09-2019 11:02am

Not many employeers would approve 22 weeks or even more than 2 weeks in a row I imagine.
It up to each company, mine uses external payroll so I think it may be difficult for them to process taking less than a week at a time off. I work a 4 day week but that has to be done by changing contract so I do not have full holiday allowance and bonus ect is pro rata.
Can see how doing it this way works out better for smaller companies.

Think if taking parental leave need to first budget and save for it. I took some over summer holidays felt the pinch but did not have to pay for childcare or summer camps those weeks.
I had also agreed mine in spring however when summer arrived some weeks cancelled as cover was needed.

AulWan · 24-09-2019 11:09am

nl2803 wrote: »

Hi, I just got offered an EO job while I'm on maternity leave, don't currently work in the service but I was planning on taking PL with my current employer. Do you know if I can apply for it when I start or will I have to pass my probation first. Thanks

From the Circular on Parental Leave:

Parental Leave is available to Civil Service staff who have one year’s continuous service, but it will also be allowed, on a reduced basis, to staff who have more than three months but less than twelve months continuous service.

So, you can apply after three months.

AulWan · 24-09-2019 11:13am

Ciaram24 wrote: »

Is there any way around this. I cant understand how talking 22weeks won't effect the business but 1 days will.

No way around it, that I know of.

Employers can take on a temp for a single block of 22 weeks, but hiring a person for one day a week, every week, stretched out over a couple of years, is not really feasible.

jlm29 · 24-09-2019 11:23am

Ciaram24 wrote: »

Is there any way around this. I cant understand how talking 22weeks won't effect the business but 1 days will.

I suppose they’re either hoping to cover you full time for the block, or else hoping you can’t afford to take it. There’s no way around it afaik, other than to negotiate. Would a half day be any use?

jlm29 · 24-09-2019 1:09pm

Ciaram24 wrote: »

Is there any way around this. I cant understand how talking 22weeks won't effect the business but 1 days will.

I suppose they’re either hoping to cover you full time for the block, or else hoping you can’t afford to take it. There’s no way around it afaik, other than to negotiate. Would a half day be any use?

24-09-2019 1:45pm

I think you can request to take 6 weeks if you want but then you'd have to take the remaining weeks all together. This is what citizens information says:

From 1 September 2019, you are entitled to 22 weeks parental leave. You can take this leave as:

One continuous period of leave or
2 separate blocks of a minimum of 6 weeks each or
If your employer consents, broken into working days and/or hours

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/employment_rights_and_conditions/leave_and_holidays/parental_leave.html

Seems like the employer doesn't need to consent for the two blocks of 6 weeks.

splinter65 · 24-09-2019 1:51pm

AulWan wrote: »

No way around it, that I know of.

Employers can take on a temp for a single block of 22 weeks, but hiring a person for one day a week, every week, stretched out over a couple of years, is not really feasible.

That’s the wholly all of that for the employers point of view really and when you look at it that way it’s understandable.

Parental leave

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