In addition to opting into the Shared Parental Leave system an employee will also need to book their leave by giving the University a period of leave notice using a form CHRIS 75b.
This notice can be given at the same time as the opt-in notice (form CHRIS 75a), or it can be given later, as long as it is given at least 8 weeks before the start of the employee’s leave.
Once the HR Division receives an agreed application from an Institution, it will be dealt with as soon as possible, but a response will be provided no later than the 14th day after the leave request was made.
The period of leave notice can either give the dates the employee wants to take leave or, if the child has not been born yet or placed with the adopter, the notice can state the number of days after birth/placement that the employee wants the leave to start and end.
Each application may contain either (a) a single period of weeks of leave; or (b) two or more weeks of discontinuous leave, where the employee intends to return to work between periods of leave.
Shared Parental Leave can only be taken in complete weeks but may begin on any day of the week. For example if a week of Shared Parental Leave began on a Tuesday it would finish on a Monday. Where an employee returns to work between periods of Shared Parental Leave, the next period of Shared Parental Leave can start on any day of the week.
An employee can give up to three periods of leave notices. This may enable the employee to take up to three separate blocks of Shared Parental Leave (although if an employee gives notice to vary or cancel a period of leave this will in most cases count as a further period of leave notice).
Continuous leave
A period of leave notice can be for a period of continuous leave, which means a notification of a number of weeks taken in a single unbroken period of leave (for example, six weeks in a row).
If the employee submits a period of leave notice requesting one continuous block of leave, the employee will be entitled to take the leave set out in the notice.
All applications for continuous leave will be confirmed in writing by the HR Division.
Discontinuous leave
A single period of leave notice may also be for two or more periods of discontinuous leave, which means asking for a set number of weeks of Shared Parental Leave with periods of work in between (for example, an arrangement where an employee will take six weeks of Shared Parental Leave and then work every other week for a period of three months).
The Institution will consider a discontinuous leave application but has the right to refuse it.
If an employee requests a discontinuous period of leave, the Institution will either agree it or start a two week discussion period with a view to agreeing an arrangement that meets both the needs of the employee and the Institution. The request may be granted in full or in part: for example, the Institution may propose a modified version of the request. At the end of that period, any agreed arrangements will be confirmed in writing. If it has not been possible to reach agreement the employee will be entitled to take the full amount of leave requested as one continuous block, starting on the start date given in the period of leave notice. Alternatively the employee may:
- choose a start date (which is at least eight weeks from when the period of leave notice was originally given) and must notify the employer of that date within 5 days of the end of the two week period; or
- withdraw the period of leave notice within 15 days of giving it (in which case the notice will not be counted and the employee may submit a new one if they choose).
All requests for discontinuous leave will be carefully considered by the Institution, in liaison with the HR Division if necessary, weighing up the potential benefits to the employee and to the Institution against any adverse impact.
Each request for discontinuous leave will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Agreeing to one request will not set a precedent or create the right for another employee to be granted a similar pattern of Shared Parental Leave.
Final formal grant of leave will be confirmed in writing by the HR Division.