Working motherhood is incredibly challenging. Working women face problems when managing her responsibility of raising a child with her career at the workplace. They may need maternity leave, flexible working hours, paid and unpaid leaves, etc. during working in a company. Some companies might think that men are better suited to specific job roles and women to others. And also, some companies avoid hiring women. But As per law, employers are not allowed to discriminate against employees or applicants based upon their gender or other factors such as colour, race, religion, age, disability, or national origin. If you feel that your employer, company manager, or co-worker has wronged you, in that case, you can contact an employment Lawyer under employment Law for workplace discrimination. All have equal rights in the workplace whether male or female. If you have suffered discrimination in the workplace, contact workplace discrimination lawyers free consultation at https://mosheslaw.com .
As a working mother, you may be concerned or know about managing the responsibilities of caring for your child without compromising your career.
Here we summaries the fundamental employment law for working mother rights as well as future legal developments.
In This Article
What Are the Working Mother Rights?
For a working other trying to balance work life and family life can be a struggle. However, many working mothers are not fully aware of our law’s rights in the workplace. Here we let you know the working mother rights that help you manage the working life, employment, and career.
Maternity Leave
If you are working in a company, you can take 52 weeks of maternity leave. Where 26 weeks are as “ordinary leave” and 26 weeks for “additional leave.” You can take maternity leave one week before the week of your due date. When you return to the workplace within your ordinary maternity leave, you will continue in the same job role. And if you take additional maternity leave after the standard maternity leave, your employer can move you into a similar position as per the terms and conditions before.
Flexible Working Hours
‘Flexible working hours’ means any working pattern adapted to suit your needs. When you become a mother, you have the right to make a legal request for flexible working. And then, your employer allows you to combine work commitments and childcare. They make some common arrangements such as work from home, staggered hours, flexitime, part-time and job sharing, etc.
- Part-time: working less than the usual hours, maybe working fewer days per week
- Compressed Hours: working with your agreed hours over fewer days
- Home working: working from home
- Flexi-time: choosing when to work (there is usually a core period during which you have to work)
- Job sharing: sharing a job, designed for one person, with someone else
- Term-time: working term time only.
When you make a statutory request for flexible working hours, you must set out in writing your proposed arrangements of impact on the business, or business problems could be avoided, etc. After your request, your employer must have a meeting with you to discuss flexible working hours. And the employer can refuse this request if they have a genuine commercial reason only. In that case, you can appeal the decision if there was relevant information that your employer did not take it seriously. But it would be best if you did not appeal because you disagree with their decision only.
Parental Leave
Parental leave is the right of law to take unpaid time off work to look after your child or make arrangements for your child welfare. Parental leave can help you spend more time with your kid and provide a better balance between your work and family. Some examples of the ways parental leave might be used, such as:
- Spending more time with your child at their early ages i.e., aged under 18.
- Spend time with your child during a stay in the hospital.
- Looking at new schools for your child.
- Settling your child into new childcare arrangements.
- Allowing your family to spend more time together.
- Taking additional leave immediately after your maternity, paternity.
You can take this parental leave if you have a child aged under 18; you must be an employee of a company and have at least one year’s continuous service with your current company. You can take 18 weeks’ parental leave for each child. Statutory parental leave is unpaid. But some companies may enhance the statutory entitlement and make payments depending on your terms and conditions of employment.
Adoption Leave and Pay
When the parent is a working parent who has been matched with a child for adoption, you may be entitled to adoption leave. While you request the Adoption, Leave to your employer, you need to show proof of the adoption. You can apply for this leave when you want a child through an approved adoption agency or in the case of an overseas adoption with the official notification. But if you will take private adoption, you can’t take adoption leave. To apply for Adoption Leave, you have worked for your employer for at least 26 weeks.
Who Can Take Adoption Leave?
- You should be an employee.
- You should have child adoption paper by an approved adoption agency, not a private agency.
- You have notified the approved agency that you agree that the child should be placed with you and the placement date.
Conclusion
You will need to give your employer notice that you want to take any leaves, as mentioned above. For Maternity Leave application, you should do this by 15 weeks before. And to apply for a child for adoption leave, you should inform your employer within seven days. To take paternity leave – give your employer 28 days’ notice. For further information or advice on employment Law or Working Mother rights, you may contact an employment Lawyer. You can discuss your situation with employment discrimination lawyers. They will provide the best option to outline your workplace issues or concern.
