Before an employee's SPL begins, the Head of Institution, Institution Administrator or line manager and the employee should discuss arrangements for keeping in touch during their leave. Such contact can be beneficial to both the Institution and the employee.
It is reasonable for the Institution to contact the employee during their SPL to:
- Discuss the employee's plans to return to work;
- Any statutory consultation required, for example the end of a fixed term contract;
- Ensure the individual is aware of any possible promotion opportunities;
- Discuss any special arrangements to be made or training to be given to ease their return to work; or
- Simply to update them on developments at work during their absence.
Whether such contact is done through a SPLIT day or via some other pre-arranged method is something for both parties to consider.
Shared Parental Leave in Touch (SPLIT) days
An employee can agree to work for the University (or attend training) for up to 20 days during Shared Parental Leave without bringing their period of Shared Parental Leave to an end or impacting on their right to claim ShPP for that week. These are known as "Shared Parental Leave In Touch" or "SPLIT" days. Any work carried out on a day or part of a day shall constitute a day's work for these purposes. SPLIT days are in addition to any KIT days that the mother/adopter may have taken during their maternity/adoption leave.
The University has no right to require an employee to carry out any work, and is under no obligation to offer an employee any work, during the employee’s SPL. Any work undertaken is a matter for agreement between the Institution and the employee.
An employee, with the agreement of the organisation, may use SPLIT days to work part of a week during SPL. The Institution and the employee may use SPLIT days to effect a gradual return to work by the employee towards the end of a long period of Shared Parental Leave or to trial a possible flexible working pattern.
Payment of SPLIT days
An employee will receive full pay (at the appropriate rate according to their salary spine point), inclusive of ShPP, for the hours worked during a SPLIT day. Therefore, any payment made depends on when during Shared Parental Leave the SPLIT day is worked, as follows:
|
During the EShPP period |
Unpaid |
|
During the ShPP period |
Paid for the hours worked less any ShPP for that day. |
|
During nil pay |
Full pay for the hours worked. |
Alternatively, an employee may choose to take ‘time off in lieu’ (TOIL) instead of payment for hours worked. Therefore, an employee who takes a SPLIT day may choose to receive no additional payment for that day beyond their ShPP but instead choose to gain an additional day's annual leave to be taken after their return to work.