Right to Time Off to Accompany Partner to Ante-Natal Appointments

The partner (male or female) of a woman expecting a baby will be entitled to unpaid time off in order to accompany her to up to two ante-natal appointments.  The employee does not need to have worked for you for any particular period of time, it is a right that they enjoy from day one.  

There is no minimum notice requirement in the legislation, but it does state that an employer will only be liable where it has "unreasonably refused" a request for time off.  This suggests that a tribunal may find that an employer has not unreasonably refused a request where it has been presented at the eleventh hour and it is not practicable to find cover for the time off requested at such short notice. 

Whilst some employers may feel that they do not wish to advertise this new entitlement to their staff, they may wish to consider including it in their staff handbook and encourage employees to make their request in a particular format and by giving as much notice as possible.  If an employee then breaches this written policy and is refused their request, it is unlikely that the refusal would be found unreasonable in all the circumstances.