Maternity leave

The University provides a variety of benefits for new mothers, including University Maternity Pay for eligible members of staff. If you are adopting a child, please visit the section on Adoption leave for more details.

When you know you are pregnant

Deciding when to tell your Head of Discipline/line manager that you are pregnant is a personal decision. However, the laws which protect you at work whilst pregnant only apply once your employer knows that you are pregnant.

Once your Head of Discipline/line manager knows that you are pregnant:

• you are entitled to have paid time off to keep appointments for antenatal care, including reasonable time for relaxation or parentcraft classes.  Please try, whenever possible, to arrange appointments at times which cause the minimum disruption to work or other work colleagues.  If you manager or supervisor requests it, you should provide a certificate confirming your pregnancy, your appointment cared, or some other documentary evidence, other than for your first appointment.
• you are protected from unfair treatment connected with your pregnancy

In order to qualify for maternity leave and pay, you must notify your HR Business Partner in writing, no later than the end of the 15th week before your Estimated Week of childbirth.  Please see the section below on the maternity entitlements calculator for further information.

Paternity leave

If you have a partner, they may be able to take up to two weeks' paid ordinary paternity leave once the baby is born or between 2-26 weeks additional paternity leave (subject to certain criteria) . They should find out about this as soon as possible as they will need to give their employer notice. If your partner works for the University, they should refer to the University guidance on ordinary paternity/maternity support leave or additional paternity/maternity support leave.

Health and wellbeing

As part of the University’s ongoing commitment to staff health and wellbeing, all pregnant employees need to have a workstation assessment done by Occupational Health.  It is important that your area and type of work, contacts that you have, or chemicals with which you may be working are assessed in the interests of your health and safety and that of your unborn child.  Your HR Business Partner will make a referral for you upon notification of your due dates.

Notify your HR Business Partner of your due date as soon as possible, but no later than the end of the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth. 

Working in high risk areas

If you work in a laboratory or other high risk area, we recommend you notify your HR Business Partner you are pregnant as soon as possible. Occupational Health will need to complete a Risk Assessment of your work environment at an earlier stage in pregnancy, as foetal abnormalities that occur due to chemical or toxin exposure occur within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Maternity entitlements calculator

Use the maternity entitlements calculator to find out what pay you are entitled to receive whilst on maternity leave. The calculator will also provide the dates by which you will need to have returned any forms required to facilitate your leave.

After you have notified your HR Business Partner

Your HR Business Partner will arrange to meet with you in order to discuss the particulars of your maternity leave arrangements and answer any queries you may have about the process.