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Having recently discovered that I am expecting my first child, the rights surrounding pregnancy entitlement to the father and mother have now become of keen interest. If you are pregnant at work your employer must protect your health and safety and you may have the right to paid time off for antenatal care. You are also protected against unfair treatment, but what does that actually mean?

You must tell your employer that you are pregnant at least 15 weeks before the beginning of the week when your baby is due. If this isn’t possible, for example because you didn’t realise you were pregnant, you must tell your employer as soon as possible. You should also tell them when you want to start your Statutory Maternity Leave and Pay.

However, it is a good idea to tell your employer earlier, because it will let them plan around your maternity leave and carry out their legal obligations to you. This is particularly important if there are any health and safety issues. You cannot take paid time off for antenatal appointments until you have told your employer you are pregnant.

Time off for antenatal care

All pregnant employees, however long they have been in their jobs, are entitled to reasonable time off work for antenatal care. Any time off must be paid at your normal rate of pay. It is unlawful for your employer to refuse to give you reasonable time off for antenatal care or to pay you at your normal rate of pay.

Your employer can ask for evidence of antenatal appointments from the second appointment onwards. If asked you should show your employer a medical certificate showing you’re pregnant and an appointment card or some other written evidence of your appointment.
Antenatal care may include relaxation or parent craft classes as well as medical examinations, if these are recommended by your doctor. If you can, try to avoid taking time off work when you can reasonably arrange classes or examinations outside working hours.

Fathers-to-be and time off for antenatal appointments

Fathers do not have a legal right to time off to accompany their partners to antenatal appointments as the right to paid time off only applies to pregnant employees. However, many companies recognise how important a time this is and let their employees either take paid time off or make up the time later.

Having a child through IVF (in vitro fertilisation)

It is unlawful sex discrimination for employers to treat a woman less favourably because she is undergoing IVF treatment or intends to become pregnant. You will be entitled to paid time off for antenatal care only after the fertilised embryo has been implanted.

Health and safety for pregnant employees

Some workplace hazards can affect pregnancy at a very early stage or even before conception, so employers must think of the health of women of child bearing age, not just wait until you tell your employer that you’re pregnant.

Your employer, as part of their normal risk assessment, must consider if any work is likely to present a particular risk to women of child bearing age. You should tell your employer that you are pregnant as early as possible so that they can identify if any further actions are needed.
Risk assessment
When you tell your employer that you are pregnant your employer should review their risk assessment for your specific work and identify any changes that are necessary to protect you and your unborn baby’s health. Your employer should involve you in the process and continue to review the assessment as your pregnancy progresses to see if any adjustments are necessary.
These risks might be caused by:

• lifting or carrying heavy loads
• standing or sitting for long periods
• exposure to toxic substances
• long working hours

Your employer must then either remove the risk or remove you from being exposed to it (for example, by offering you suitable alternative work). If neither of these is possible, your employer should suspend you from work on full pay.

For more information on your entitlement visit and make sure you do your research directgov

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FANCY working in a Winter Wonderland? Creativevents, who provide most of the catering at this spectacular seasonal attraction in London’s Hyde Park, says it still needs temporary staff to provide food and drink for customers every day except Christmas Day itself until January 4.

The company says that workers are mainly students so there is a fun environment, a great social network and ­flexible shifts are on offer.

Applicants must be polite, of smart appearance and willing to work hard in a team situation, starting January 7, and at venues including Earls Court, Olympia and ExCeL in London.

To find out more, visit www.creativevents.co.uk.

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Commenting on the Advanced Manufacturing Framework for Action launched Friday by Business Minister Mark Prisk, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:
‘Advanced manufacturing is essential to promote growth in the UK and rebalance the economy. However, the short timescale for this initiative means the government must concentrate on a few key targets.

‘Boosting green manufacturing should be an immediate priority, and harnessing procurement to support British industry is another area where a quick win is possible.’

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Recent research by PwC claims that almost 30% of HR Directors are planning to increase headcount in their businesses in 2011. This is fantastic news the the recruitment industry and will create the much needed opportunities in the private sector that were predicted earlier on in the year.

Increases in job numbers are expected to be particularly high in the services sector with both the technology and manufacturing sectors also improving considerably.

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With large parts of the UK under snow and ice, the TUC is urging employers to adopt a flexible attitude to staff attendance, and where possible allow employees to work from home.
As the arctic conditions spread across the UK, causing hundreds of schools to close, working parents have the added problem of what to do with their children even if they can make it into work, says the TUC.

With the cold snap likely to continue for several more days, the TUC says that if employees have internet, e-mail and phones at home, the most sensible solution for employers is to allow them to work there during snowy periods.

Communication between employers and their staff, and between workers and their managers is key when the weather takes a turn for the worse, says the TUC.

Good employers will already have ‘bad weather’ policies in place and will have told their workforce what is expected of them when snow and ice close the workplace or make the usual commute difficult or hazardous. Any ’snow’ policy should also cover what parents should do if their local schools close and they have no alternative means of childcare.

Clearly workers should make every effort to get in to work and not simply give up at the first sight of a few snowflakes, says the TUC. But embarking on a journey which could put themselves or the emergency services in danger, is not a sensible move either, particularly if they live in isolated, rural areas.

Employers also need to be careful that they aren’t putting undue pressure on their employees to get into work, or are putting them in a situation where staff feel they have no choice but to go into work or risk facing possible disciplinary action or losing a day’s pay.

Not every kind of job can be done from home and the blizzard-like conditions are putting undue pressure on the health and emergency services in some areas. Often staff will be struggling to cover for colleagues who haven’t been able to make it in, says the TUC.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: ‘In many parts of the country the advice from the police is not to travel unless journeys are absolutely necessary. And given that the adverse weather conditions are causing huge delays across the road and transport networks, it would be very unfair if an employer decided to dock pay from staff who failed to make it in because of the snow.

‘Workers everywhere have been braving the snow and ice to get into work, but where the weather makes someone’s usual commute unsafe, or where working parents find themselves with children but with no childcare, a more sensible approach is needed.

‘Best practice is simply to pay as normal those staff who cannot make it in. Asking employees to take a day’s holiday is less reasonable and may create unnecessary resentment. Where possible staff should be encouraged to work from home. That way the job still gets done, most of the wintery hazards are avoided, and good workplace relations are maintained.’
Advice on workSMART, the TUC’s world of work website, to individuals living in snow-bound parts of the country says:

There’s no general legal right to be paid if you can’t come into work because of the weather, but many companies have ‘bad weather’ policies so that employees who are genuinely kept away from work by dangerous weather and lack of transport still get paid. In addition, in cases where the office or factory does not open, many employers will have a contractual duty to pay staff who turn up to work.

If employers who don’t have ‘bad weather’ policies refuse to pay staff or force them to take holiday, this could cause unnecessary resentment among those who’ve been kept away from work through no fault of their own, or create a risk for people travelling to work in genuinely dangerous situations.

Many employees are able to work from home, thanks to technology linking them to an office network, and this might be a useful alternative for both staff and employers to consider.

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