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ARTICLE · 22 NOVEMBER 2014

Enhancing Shared Parental Pay - What To Think About

Withers LLP
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Enhanced shared parental pay presents both opportunity and potentially some thorny legal issues. No one can say how many employees will actually make use of shared parental leave, meaning the question marks over enhanced shared parental pay could turn out to be a storm in a teacup.

United KingdomEmployment and HR
Christina Morton
Christina Morton
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Shared parental leave | Be prepared

Enhanced shared parental pay presents both opportunity and potentially some thorny legal issues. No one can say how many employees will actually make use of shared parental leave, meaning the question marks over enhanced shared parental pay could turn out to be a storm in a teacup. That said, employers will want to be alert to the issues involved.

Government guidance is explicit that there is no obligation on an employer to enhance shared parental pay, regardless of whether it enhances maternity pay. But employers who follow this guidance without thinking further about the issue may run into difficulty.

The battle for talent

The clearest advantage to offering employees enhanced shared parental pay is that it is an attractive benefit and one that is likely to help those organisations which offer it to draw in and retain talented employees. It is noted that the soon-to-be-abolished additional paternity leave regime was not

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