Employer Contact while on Maternity Leave

I don’t think this is right… there is something in contracts and policies regarding “KIT” (keep in touch) days, and I believe this is limited to 10 days maximum. I would double check your maternity policy/contract 😊

https://www.gov.uk/employee-rights-when-on-leave

Here is more info 😊

I have no idea what is legally allowed but I would be so shocked if this was standard practice!!!

Employers should offer 10 what’s known as keep in touch days and that can spread however you and them agree on, there is no need to legally speak to you every two weeks.. only those 10 keep in touch days which I would look into enlighten them xx

Hell to the no!

Lol no this is not a thing. You don’t have to have any contact if you don’t wish! I’d politely go back and share concerns, ask what exactly he would want to discuss in a 2 week period because you’ll have nothing to say about work as you’re not there! I think your manager got confused with sick leave recommendations that’s all…

This is absolutely not normal. I would expect a phone call and maybe be invited to complete a few KIT days (if you want!!!) in the 2-3 months before you return, prior to that there should absolutely be no work related contact. Im not aware of any legal standpoint around this however it is really poor practice and I would threaten to go down the harassment route if its insisted on…

Is this a new manager? Maybe getting confused with regular contact when someone is out sick?

Please contact HR and let them put your manager right!

Keep in touch days are also 10 days in total so I think it is completely non sense that he wants to contact you every two weeks 😕

My manager has said he wont contact me at all while i’m off and i’m to contact him when i would like to do a KIT day. He said i’m to focus on the baby as thats the most importnant thing.

Nope this is not OK as someone who works in hr. You need to contact your HR team as they will know this is completely against what ACAS advises. You shouldn't be contacted unless it's for an important company update, redundancy, opportunity for promotion or around 3 months before you're due back to discuss return to work.

I also think there's some confusion here about kit days. Even 2 hours would count as 1 kit day. You cannot legally go over 10 kit days. They're usually used closer to your RTW date. An employee is under no obligation to complete any kit days and similarly an employer is under no obligation to approve any.

Thankyou so much everyone!! I’m going to speak to my manager and if there is any push back I will go to HR and get some support 🩷

thankyou so much, you’ve really helped!!!! 🩷 xx it’s good to see it from a HR perspective! xx

No it’s not right. Holy moly so much bad practice out there 🙈 You choose what contact you have and your manager should not be assuming how much you wish to be contacted. My job is head of HR ive planned a handover and provided my manager a plan of how I’d like to be contacted. I’ve said I want to be kept in the loop with certain business changes (given my role) and I will arrange KIT days via email. Your employer have to tell you about any major changes that impact your job such as redundancies, restructures, or any opportunities for promotion but you do not have to do any work while on maternity, KIT days are optional.

ACAS is always a great source as is this guide on Indeed x

https://www.acas.org.uk/managing-your-employees-maternity-leave-and-pay/planning-maternity-leave

https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/maternity-leave-plan#:~:text=Plan%20your%20maternity%20leave,touch%20during%20your%20maternity%20leave.

Every two weeks is definitely not a thing. There is keeping in touch days which I believe is around 10 days average during maternity. There is no way I’d speak to my employer every two weeks, it’s your time to enjoy your baby and adapt to a different life with baby and family. X

Read your work policy .
It does said about manager will be in contact with you by emails .
But I am not sure about 2 weekly