With children back at school across the country, the likelihood of HR questions relating to working parents increases. We look at some of those questions and what employers need to know about the rights of working parents.
1. Flexible and remote working
Flexible and remote working, i.e. working in locations other than the main workplace, can be good options for working parents, allowing them to adapt their requirements around their home needs. A flexible working request allows an employee to ask to change their terms and conditions in accordance with their needs. Since April 2024, this is a right available to all employees from the first day of employment and they can make up to two requests in a 12-month period. All requests must be considered and subject to consultation, and sound business reasons provided if they are to be refused.
Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, the rules on flexible working will be changing sometime in 2027 (a definite date has not yet been set).
2. Term-time only working
Term-time only working is a contractual arrangement where employees work during school term times but not during school holidays. While commonly used in the education sector, it is also popular in other sectors to support greater work-life balance, particularly for individuals with childcare or caring responsibilities. This is to an extent linked to flexible working, as an employee may use that route to request this type of working.
3. Parental leave
Unpaid statutory parental leave can be a valuable option to working parents who find the need to take more time off in the year than their annual leave entitlement allows, or where they have notice of an issue with their childcare arrangements. Since April 2026, under changes introduced via the Employment Rights Act 2025, parental leave has been a day one right. Under it, employees are entitled to take up to 18 weeks’ unpaid parental leave to look after a child under the age of 18, provided they give their employer 21 days’ notice (unless not reasonably practicable, which may be the case where the employee has just started working for the organisation).
4. Neonatal care leave and pay
Neonatal care leave is a statutory entitlement introduced under the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023. It applies to employees whose newborn baby requires neonatal care due to medical needs. The entitlement provides up to 12 weeks of leave, which can be taken during the 68-week period starting from the baby’s birth or placement for adoption. This ensures that parents can provide care and support to their babies during critical periods without compromising their employment security. Importantly, this leave is a day-one right, meaning no minimum service period is required to qualify for leave.
Subject to eligibility criteria, neonatal care leave is a paid leave type. To qualify for it, employees must have 26 weeks of continuous service by the week before neonatal care starts and earn at least the lower earnings limit. Statutory neonatal care pay is available for up to 12 weeks.
5. The right to emergency time off for dependants
This statutory right allows for unpaid leave in unforeseen or emergency situations, such as where a dependant is injured or a childcare setting closes suddenly. Generally, this is short-term leave of one or two days’ leave to handle the emergency, although this will depend on the circumstances; any additional time off will need to be discussed and agreed with the employee. This could include taking short notice holiday or unpaid leave.
