Parent's Leave Policy

Aim

Parent’s leave is available to eligible members of staff to allow them time off from work within the first two years of the birth or adoption of their child or the child of their spouse or partner.

Scope

This policy covers all part-time and full-time employees of DPD Ireland provided that they meet the conditions outlined below.

Eligibility

Parent’s leave is available to employees who are deemed to be the “relevant parent” of a child. There is no minimum service required with DPD Ireland to qualify for parent’s leave.

Both parents have an equal separate entitlement to parent’s leave. Parent’s leave is non-transferrable between relevant parents.

When one parent dies, the surviving parent is entitled to leave for the amount of leave the deceased parent did not take from their 9 week entitlement (this is known as transferred parent’s leave).

Under the Act, a “relevant parent” includes:

In certain circumstances, this may give rise to an entitlement to parent’s leave on the part of up to four individuals in respect of a single child.

Parent’s leave is a statutory entitlement that employees enjoy in addition to their entitlement to take maternity, paternity, parental or adoptive leave.

Entitlements and conditions

The following conditions apply to taking parent’s leave.

Length of leave and commencement

Eligible employees are entitled to nine weeks’ consecutive parent’s leave or separate blocks of no less than one week.

Parent’s leave can be taken at any time within two years/104 weeks of the birth or adoption placement.

Notification requirements

The employee must fill out and submit an application form not later than six weeks before the commencement of the parents leave. This form can be found in the Logbook Section in People HR. Once the form is submitted, it will be sent to your Manager for approval.

We have created a video tutorial to show you how to apply for parent’s leave via People HR, Logbook Section. You can view this here.

Where DPD Ireland is not the same employer from whose employment maternity or adoptive leave has been taken, the employee will be required to include a copy of the medical, or other appropriate, certificate confirming the pregnancy and specifying the expected week of confinement / birth or date of placement of the child.

Payment during parent’s leave

Employees may be eligible to receive parent’s benefit during parent’s leave from the Department of Social Protection subject to PRSI contributions.

An employee can apply for Parent’s Benefit online at www.mywelfare.ie.

The state-paid parent’s leave standard benefit is €299 per week, (at the same rate as maternity, adoptive and paternity benefit) provided the employee has made sufficient PRSI contributions.

Postponement of parent’s leave by DPD Ireland

In certain limited circumstances the company may need to exercise its right to postpone for up to 12 weeks their employee’s intended parent’s leave commencement date. DPD Ireland postponement may arise where DPD Ireland is satisfied that the taking of the parent’s leave at the time specified in the notification would have a substantial adverse effect on the operation of his or her business, profession or occupation by reason of:

(a) seasonal variations in the volume of work concerned,

(b) the unavailability of a person to carry out your duties during the period of the leave,

(c) the nature of your duties,

(d) the number of other colleagues availing of parent’s leave during the period

If this postponement results in the child reaching 2 years before the leave has been drawn down, the 104 weeks cap will be extended by up to 12 weeks.

Early confinement

Where the birth of the child occurs 4 or more weeks prematurely, a DPD Ireland employee who is the relevant parent (where circumstances require) will be deemed to have complied with their notice of intention to take parent’s leave obligations to the company if notice is given in the period of 7 days commencing on the date of confinement.

Postponement of parent’s leave due to late birth/postponed adoption placement

An employee who is a relevant parent may postpone a period of parent’s leave where the date of birth occurs after the date selected by a relevant parent in their notification to the company or where the date of placement is postponed in the case of adoption. The relevant parent may select another date on which parent’s leave will commence.

Postponement of parent’s leave when the child is hospitalised

If the child is hospitalised, the employee may request in writing to postpone all or part of their parent’s leave. The postponed leave is to be taken not later than 7 days after the discharge of the child from hospital or such other date as may be agreed between the relevant parent and DPD Ireland.

Terms and conditions during leave

All employment rights will be protected while on parent’s leave other than the right to remuneration. Annual leave and public holiday entitlements accrue while an employee is on parent’s leave.

Fixed-term employees

Fixed-term workers are entitled to full parents leave. However, if your fixed-term contract ends before the last day of parents leave, the last day of your contract counts as the last day of parents leave.

Abuse of parent’s leave

Where the Company has reasonable grounds to believe that an employee who is on parent’s leave is not using the leave for the purpose specified, the leave will be terminated and any period between the commencement date of the leave and the end date of the leave specified in the notification shall be deemed not to be parent’s leave. Where the employee is found to have abused the right to parent’s leave, s/he will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.

Return to work

At the end of the period of parent’s leave, the employee is entitled to return to their normal job under the same terms and conditions. If this is not feasible, suitable alternative employment will be arranged.

Complaints

You are protected against penalisation and unfair dismissal for claiming your rights under parents leave legislation.

Disputes or concerns relating to our parents leave policy or the application of the policy may be managed through our Grievance Procedure which can be found on People Online.