Parental leave including maternity & adoption (TSB)

We’ve negotiated family friendly policies with TSB and while we can't provide every answer here, let's take a look at some of the frequently asked questions about parental leave including pregnancy, maternity, adoption, surrogacy & shared parental leave - and don't forget you may be eligible to get a subscription free period from the union too.

TSB's parental leave policy incorporates maternity, paternity, adoption, surrogacy, shared parental leave and unpaid parental leave. It applies to direct employees of the bank.

Birth parent

At TSB there isn’t a minimum period you need to have worked, or a minimum period between being back at work before you can go off on a subsequent period of leave. You just need to give the right notice and provide the right paperwork (for example, for the MatB1 for a birth parent). This also applies in surrogacy.

You’ll get 20 weeks pay based on 100% of your relevant weekly earnings. After that you're entitled, where eligible, for any periods of statutory pay such as Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) which is paid for a further 19 weeks.

If you're not entitled to SMP, you may need to claim Maternity Allowance (MA). If this affects you, your payroll team should write and tell you once you’ve submitted your MatB1. Let the bank how much MA you can get and the bank will pay the difference so that you also get 100% of your relevant weekly earnings for the first 20 weeks.

You're entitled to take up to 63 weeks of leave, up to 11 weeks prior to giving birth and a maximum of 52 weeks after giving birth. The minimum period you must take is 2 weeks immediately after the birth of your baby. 

No matter how much time you take off, the business provides 20 weeks of full pay and a further 19 weeks at the statutory rate (if you qualify for it).

Primary adoptive parent

At TSB there isn’t a minimum period you need to have worked, or a minimum period between being back at work before you can go off on a subsequent period of leave. You just need to give the right notice and provide the right paperwork.

If you're the primary adoptive parent of your child you can take adoption leave.You'll be entitled to take up to 52 weeks of leave. You may also take off up to an additional 2 weeks before your child starts living with you or is born. You can't access adoption leave if you are arranging a private adoption, becoming a special guardian or kinship carer or adopting a stepchild. Only the primary adoptive parent is entitled to this leave, but it can be shared through Shared Parental Leave.

You’ll get 20 weeks pay based on 100% of your relevant weekly earnings. After that you're entitled to Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP) for 19 weeks (if you're eligible).

No matter how much time you take off, the business provides 20 weeks of full pay and a further 19 weeks at the statutory rate (if you qualify for it).

Co-parent

Where you share the parental responsibility for a child, you are entitled to take up to 52 weeks of leave from the birth of your baby, or their placement into your care.

You’ll get 20 weeks pay based on 100% of your relevant weekly earnings, so long as you meet the eligibility criteria:

• You must earn more than £120 a week
• Have worked for TSB for at least 26 weeks by the 15th week of the due date recorded on your baby's MatB1 (or the same date criteria in your adoption certificate).

If you don't meet the criteria, you won't be entitled to paid leave, but may use a mix of holiday leave and unpaid leave.

You may be entitled to further pay if the birth parent or primary adoptive parent is sharing their leave with you.

Sharing your leave

If you're a birth parent and a primary adoptive parent, you may be able to share entitlements to maternity or adoption leave and pay with a partner. You decide how much of your leave you want to take and notify the business that you're ending your leave early so you can share the remainder with your partner.

Sharing your leave can look quite complicated, but here are a couple of things to note:

You may share as much or as little of your maternity or adoption leave and pay with your partner. For maternity leave, this is subject to you taking the minimum of 2 weeks paid leave immediately after the birth of your baby.

• Where both you and your partner work for the bank, there is a maximum of 20 weeks of full pay available to each of you (20 weeks as a birth parent or primary adoptive parent, and 20 weeks as a co-parent). Any Shared parental leave is paid at statutory rates as you are sharing the birth parent or primary adoptive parent's right to statutory pay (up to a maximum of 19 weeks of payment).
• If your partner works for another organisation, then the rate of pay they’ll be entitled to is whatever their employer offers and not what you're entitled to.
• If you are the partner, and the birth parent doesn't work for TSB, you'll be paid upto 20 weeks of full pay as a co-parent, but may still share their right to statutory pay (up to a maximum of 19 weeks of payment).
• Adoption leave applies to the primary adoptive parent only, but leave can still be shared with a partner.
• To qualify, you must earn more than £120 a week and have worked for TSB for at least 26 weeks by the 15th week of the due date, or the matching date on your adoption certificate.

The government has launched online tools to help expectant parents and their employers to navigate Shared Parental Leave & Pay statutory entitlements.

Notifying your manager

To ensure you remain eligible for the periods of leave and pay, you must notify your manager by the end of the 25th week of pregnancy, although it's often advised to do so sooner. The same notification is required if you’re a surrogate mother. 

For adoption, you should notify your manager no later than 7 days after being matched with a child.

For Shared Parental Leave, you must give your manager 8 weeks notice of your intention to take SPL, including the dates you wish to take.

Appointments

You may need to attend several appointments as part of you or your partners pregnancy, surrogacy or adoption journey. You'll be entitled to reasonable amounts of paid time off to attend these appointment. Where possible, try to keep appointment times to minimise the amount of time you're away from work, although your manager will understand this isn't always possible. Give your manager as much notice as possible, and be ready to provide proof of your appointments if this is required.

When fertility treatment is involved, the bank recognise that this can be both physically and emotionally draining, so your manager will work with you to make sure you're fully supported. You should explore how best appointments can be accommodated, which may include a mixture of paid, unpaid leave or other ways to facilitate time off.

Pregnancy related absences

As a birth parent, if you become ill while pregnant and can’t work either as a direct result of pregnancy or indirectly (such as being unable to take medication you would normally take) this should be recorded as a 'pregnancy related absence'. You’ll be paid at the sick pay rate available to you, but the absence will not be used for the purposes of the bank's health wellbeing and attendance policy.

In summary, you shouldn’t be penalised for your absence. You should still follow the normal absence reporting procedures for your part of the business, and the absence should be recorded on the HR system.

If you’re unable to work due to a pregnancy related illness during the last 4 weeks before your baby is due, this normally triggers the start of your maternity leave.

If the worst happens

There are times when things don't go according to plan and you're faced with the loss or bereavement of your child (such as through miscarriage or other pregnancy-related or parental loss). 

If you're affected by this, you'll be granted a minimum of 2 weeks paid compassionate leave. Bereavement and loss can affect everyone differently, so if you need more time, you manager will work with you to agree the best approach to take. TSB has committed to helping you through this difficult time.

Annual leave

Any holiday you've accrued before your leave starts can either be paid to you, or you can take that time off. Holiday continues to accrue while on leave, and you can decide how to use it closer to the time of your return. Options can include extending your leave or using it to go back to work on a phased basis.

Extending leave

You may decide you want to extend your maternity leave to give you as much time with your new baby as possible before returning to work. Here are some options:

• Taking holiday accrued during periods of leave - you'll need to agree with your manager how much you wish to take.
• Unpaid parental leave - you can take up to 18 weeks (26 weeks for a child with a disability) of unpaid leave up until the child's 18th birthday.
• Sabbatical - this is a 1-12 months long period of unpaid leave from the business. This option secures your role with a guaranteed right to return.
• Career break - this is a 6 months to 6 years long period away from the business. You’re required to resign, and re-employment isn’t guaranteed. But should you find another role your periods of service will be linked.

Each option requires sufficient notice, and there are eligibility terms you may need to meet. You’ll find these in the specific policies on the banks intranet. Got questions? Chat to us and we’ll help you work through your options.

Keeping in touch (KIT) days

You are entitled to 10 keeping in touch days while on parental leave. These are paid days and could be used for attending team meetings, completing training or even as part of your transition back into work. You should confirm with your manager how and when you want to use these days, but you don't have to planned them out in advance. You'll be paid a full day, regardless of how many hours you attend work for on a given day.

Where you're sharing leave with a partner, you're both entitled to a maximum of 10 days each.

Planning a return to work

We recommend speaking to your manager around 8 weeks before your agreed return to work date to discuss your plans, and if you're wanting to return earlier you should also give your manager 8 weeks notice. You may also want to discuss a phased return to work which would involve using some of your accrued holidays, or you might want to consider a change to your working pattern.

If you fall ill at the point of your return, you'll receive sick pay once your period of leave has ended.

Redundancy

We often get asked what rights you have if you're pregnant or on maternity leave, so this section is dedicated to answering some of those frequently asked questions.

There is a ‘protected period’ from the start of pregnancy to the end of maternity leave. This doesn't mean that an employer can't make you redundant, but it means they must follow strict rules.

• You can't be made redundant because you're pregnant or on maternity leave.

• You can still be made redundant if there is a genuine redundancy, and the reason you've been selected is for another reason not linked to your pregnancy or maternity leave.

• If you're on maternity leave, you have extra protection should a genuine redundancy arise. An employer must provide you with suitable alternative work, if there is some, and give you priority for placement ahead of other employees. This protection ends when maternity leave ends, meaning you're not protected during extended leave periods after your maternity leave has ended (for example taking your accrued holidays or other periods of leave).

Find out more in our interactive eBite guidance.

Leaving your employer

If you decide not to return to work at the end of your maternity, adoption or shared leave, you will not be required to pay back any of the occupational pay you may have received. You need to resign from your employment in the normal way, giving the correct period of notice - that's it.

Need support?

If you need further support or guidance, contact your local Accord officer to discuss further, feel free to chat to us through our online chat (available Monday-Thursday 8:30-17:30 & Friday 08:30-17:00), or drop us an email to [email protected].