Employment Law – New Acas Guidelines Published

Acas, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service for employers and employees alike has published new guidance on supporting working parents and trans employees.

Supporting working parents with ill or premature babies

The new advice published by Acas is geared towards assisting employers in supporting staff who have given birth to premature or ill babies, and employers are recommended to familiarise themselves with the new guidelines.

Advice for employers includes:

• Being compassionate and sensitive in all communications
• Being discrete. An employer should ask the parents what they would like to tell their colleagues about their situation. Understandably, some parents would like to keep the matter private.
• Making employees aware of statutory entitlements to leave. This would include shared parental leave which must be taken between the baby’s birth and first birthday; and
• Trying to be flexible when parents return to work as the baby may have follow-up appointments or treatment. Time off may be required.

The full article on supporting working parents with ill or premature babies can be found here.

Supporting trans employees in the workplace

Acas has published a new research paper on supporting trans and intersex employees in the workplace.

The research paper covers the legal and policy issues when employing trans and intersex workers. It also considers barriers, challenges and suggestions for change.

If you employ trans or intersex workers it is worth reading as it provides guidance on what ‘good’ employers should be doing to ensure a safe and thriving working environment for all.

The research paper can be found in its entirety here.

MORE INFORMATION 

If you feel that, as an employer, you require more legal advice relating to working parents or trans employees, please contact our Employment Department – our team of expert solicitors will be able to assist. Call on 01708 229444 or email us using our contact form.

This article was written by Alexander Pearce, Employment Law Associate at Pinney Talfourd LLP Solicitors. The contents of this article are for the purposes of general awareness only. They do not purport to constitute legal or professional advice. Specific legal advice should be taken on each individual matter. This article is based on the law as of October 2017.