The majority of employers believe the introduction of new family-friendly rules coming into force on 6th April will bring problems for their firms rather than opportunities, according to research by the CIPD and KPMG.
The Work and Families Act (WFA) will extend maternity and adoption pay from six to nine months and extend the right to request flexible working to carers of adults. It will also allow some of this period to be transferred to the father of the child, although this element will not be introduced until 2008 at the earliest.
According to the poll, 64% of employers feel the paternity changes will cause them either some (48%) or significant (16%) difficulties, with 57% saying the maternity and adoption rules will prove problematic.
'It is clear from the survey that there is scepticism about some of the WFA provisions, especially those relating to paternity leave, and concern about the difficulties that might arise in implementing them,' said Mike Emmott, CIPD adviser, employee relations.
'It is possible that such reservations simply reflect the caution with which employers tend to embrace any new regulations. But the government needs to reassure employers about the administration of the new provisions,' he added.
But according to the government's advice body Business Link, small companies can use the new rules to boost staff recruitment and retention. It has issued the following pointers to small business owners wanting to turn the new provisions to their advantage:
- As well as understanding and complying with the law, it is an appropriate time for employers to ensure that they are doing everything possible to maximise staff loyalty and retain highly-trained, knowledgeable staff during and after employee maternity leave
- Offering flexible working is one way to help retain key staff and avoid unnecessary staff turnover and recruitment costs. Flexible working can refer to a part-time role or working hours that the parent can then accommodate child care arrangements. Providing flexible working can also help reduce office overheads, for example, less desk space may be required if people are working from home. Remember facilitating flexible working may require investing in mobiles, laptops or setting up hot-desking arrangements
- Another option for some businesses to help retain staff is job-sharing. This provides the opportunity to have a full-time role covered by two people. For example, one person could work two days a week, and then provide a handover for the other person who covers the remainder of the week. Dependent on business needs, it might work better to have one day where both employees are in
- The new Work and Families legislation affects parents of babies due to be born on or after the 6th April; resulting in additional maternity and adoption pay, and extended leave for parents. Businesses can prepare for changes through businesslink.gov.uk’s new online maternity tool at www.businesslink.gov.uk/maternity
