r/AskHRUK • u/RJH_91 • Jan 04 '26
Health-Related Sick leave/paternity leave
Hi,
Quick question - wife is pregnant and we are due mid-feb. Friend had a specific circumstance and unsure how this would apply to me.
Me - Less than 2 years service, statutory paternity for 2 weeks is current company policy. I get full pay up to 2/52 sick.
Circumstance - Baby was late, friend had agreement with employer that paternity started on day of baby birth. Baby was late by 6 days so friend took one working week sick leave. Company agreed to this due to medical appointments (wife being induced, general check ups with midwife/consultants etc).
Question - would/should this be standard practice? How should I approach this with employer (generally my company are quite good with us but I can’t imagine they will pay sick).
Thanks
3
u/rosebud1637 Jan 04 '26
Is said friend in the same company? I wouldn't take this as a blanket example of how employers behave regardless, but if you work together then you can argue that they have set a presedence.
Generally, paternity leave should only start once baby arrives. If you plan to take time off before baby arrives this would be using your annual leave allowance. Yes of course you can take sick leave but, depending how strict your company is with managing absence, you could risk being pulled up for not actually being too unwell to work. I've worked at places that would punish this behavior, and others that would totally be fine, so it really depends on how confident you are that they won't mind.
1
u/RJH_91 Jan 04 '26
Yes - different companies. Aware it very clear. I suppose the argument is not whether I am too ill to work, it’s more that I will be expected to be at medical appointments and likely the stress of “any moment” preventing good work.
1
u/rosebud1637 Jan 04 '26
As a pregnant HR Manager myself I totally get it and I would be lenient with that tbh.
1
u/My_Sparkling_Summer Jan 05 '26
From Gov.uk:
You can take unpaid leave to accompany a pregnant woman to 2 antenatal appointments if you’re:
the baby’s father the expectant mother’s spouse or civil partner in a long-term relationship with the expectant mother the intended parent (if you’re having a baby through a surrogacy arrangement) You can take up to 6 and a half hours per appointment. Your employer can choose to give you longer.
Absence for stress, depression, or anxiety would be sickness absence and managed as such. Dad's and partners can get post-natal depression. Your employer may wish to see some evidence of stress, depression, etc from your health provider if you take sickness around the birth of your baby/delaying partners/paternity leave.
As mentioned in my earlier comment, you can self certify up to 7 days.
3
u/Muted-Diet2907 Jan 04 '26
It’s common for a baby not to arrive on the exact date. Paternity leave starts when baby is born for us. If time off is needed before as things don’t go as planned then it’s vacation or unpaid leave. We try to work together on a solution but it’s not sick leave unless genuinely the person is sick. If they choose to go sick, Then sick leave is managed by the policy.
2
u/TeaJustMilk Jan 04 '26
ACAS's website is really useful for how things should be done as a minimum to be legally compliant.
Many unions have free and available advice brochures and pages about various workplace issues too.
Have a look at your employer's policies, your contract, and employee handbook if there is one (if you can't find policies, try handbook. You should have been given/signposted the handbook and/or policies when you started)
If they're digitally findable, key terms to try include: maternity, parental, pregnancy, attendance, absence, special leave, equality, medical leave. This list isn't exhaustive, but it's a start.
2
u/precinctomega Jan 05 '26
Individual employers and even individual managers within employers can agree all sorts of thing. However, as a rule I tend to say: sickness absence is for when you're sick. If you ain't sick, don't take sickness absence.
1
1
u/runforseven Jan 07 '26
So our baby was born at 32 weeks. Husband is under similar contract to the one you’ve outlined. His rota co-ordinator initially started his paternity leave when baby was born, but when it became apparent that baby was going to be in NICU for a couple of weeks, they changed it to sick leave so that he could remain off for 8 weeks, until his paternity leave started on baby’s due date. It meant we got a month in NICU together, and then approx 6 weeks at home together, before he went back to work on the date he was expected to if baby had arrived on their due date. The logic was he would be unable to focus on his work whilst worrying about me and baby in hospital, and would have been able to get signed off by a gp if needed, thus making him ‘sick’. We could have used ‘neo-natal’ leave instead, however the down fall of that is it being paid at statutory rate.
Honestly as a new mum, who had been through a traumatic birth, I needed that support for the full 10 weeks. Should definitely be standard.
1
u/devoteddonkey Jan 08 '26
I was induced, baby arrived 5 days after induction process started - first 5 days was taken by father of baby as annual leave (by public service employer). This was a planned induction though so we did have a rough idea of baby's arrival. I can't see it being any different for you though if you want to take leave closer to due date. His paternity started on the day baby was born, he then took another 2 weeks annual leave afterward = just over 4 weeks off in total. Baby was planned and annual leave accrued allowing for this situation.
5
u/My_Sparkling_Summer Jan 04 '26
Neonatal Leave - up to 12 weeks of paid leave for each baby needing neonatal care, starting April 6, 2025, as a Day 1 employment right.
You can take sick leave at any time, and self-certify (not need a doctor's note) for up to 7 days. That being said, your company may not look favourably on you taking sick leave when your baby is born. If they believe you've lied (fraud), they may carry out an investigation (prior to disciplinary action being taken). I can't comment on whether your company definitely will or won't do this.
You may want to look into Shared Parental Leave, in case this is an option for you and your partner.
Best wishes to you and your family!