Communicating During Maternity Leave

CIPD writes that according to recent research, a quarter of women reported having too little contact with their employers during maternity leave.

The article goes on to state that “under the 1999 maternity and parental leave regulations, an employer is allowed to maintain “reasonable contact from time to time” with an employee on maternity leave. However, the latest EHRC research shows employers may struggle with what ‘reasonable contact’ is.”

Keeping In Touch Days

KIT days stands for ‘keeping in touch’ days. With many employers and employees seemingly unsure, what are the facts?

• Employees on maternity leave can take up to 10 KIT days during their maternity leave:

  • the date must be agreed with the employer

  • taking it will not terminate the employee’s maternity leave

• Either parent may also have 20 SPLIT (shared parental leave in touch days) in addition to KIT days if they take shared parental leave.

• There is no obligation for an employer to offer KIT days

• There is no right for an employee to insist on having a KIT day

• There is no obligation for an employee to accept any KIT days offered

The CIPD article goes on to explain some of the finer points of KIT days including pay, what they could entail and how to go about keeping in touch.

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