Page 41 - OKelly Sutton Employee Handbook March19
P. 41

sufficient PRSI contributions. Paternity leave days must be taken consecutively, and all dates must be
               agreed with a Partner/Director in advance.

               3.9.10 When can employees start their maternity leave?
               You  can  start  your  maternity  leave  up  to  14  weeks  before  the  end  of  the  expected  week  of
               confinement,  but  it  must  not  be  later  than  two  weeks  before  the  end  of  the  expected  week  of
               confinement and you must not take less than four weeks after the end of the expected week of
               confinement.

               3.9.11 Reduction of Working Hours to Facilitate Breast feeding
               An employee who is breastfeeding will be entitled to reduce her hours by 1 hour per day for the
               purposes of breastfeeding other than in the workplace, if the Company has not requested her to utilise
               facilities  provided  by  the  Company.  For  the  purposes  of  the  2004  Act  "breastfeeding"  means
               breastfeeding a child or expressing breast milk and feeding it to a child immediately or storing it for
               the purposes of feeding it to a child at a later time. This entitlement may be availed of for up to 26
               weeks after the date of birth of the child. Such a reduction of hours will comprise of one 60-minute
               period, two 30-minute periods, or three 20-minute periods as agreed with a Partner/Director. Part
               time employees will be entitled to a pro-rata benefit to that provided to full-time employees.

               To avail of this benefit, the employee must inform a Partner/Director of the intention to avail of this
               reduction in hours when advising the company that she will be returning to work, i.e. not later than
               four weeks before the intended return to work date. The employee should include a copy of the child's
               birth certificate with such an application. The employee will remain on full pay during the period that
               hours are reduced for the purposes of breastfeeding.

               3.9.12 Provision of Breastfeeding Breaks
               An employee who is breastfeeding will be entitled to work breaks equivalent to 1 hour per day for the
               purposes of breast-feeding in a designated area in the workplace. For the purposes of the 2004 Act
               "breastfeeding"  means  breastfeeding  a  child  or  expressing  breast  milk  and  feeding  it  to  a  child
               immediately or storing it for the purposes of feeding it to a child at a later time. This entitlement may
               be availed of for up to 26 weeks after the date of birth of the child. Breastfeeding breaks may be taken
               as one 60-minute break, two 30-minute breaks, or three 20-minute breaks per day as agreed with a
               Partner/Director. Part time employees will be entitled to a pro-rata benefit to that provided to full-
               time employees.

               To avail of this benefit, the employee must inform a Partner/Director of the intention to avail work
               breaks when advising the company that she will be returning to work, i.e. not later than four weeks
               before the intended return to work date. The employee should include a copy of the child's birth
               certificate with such an application. Availing of such breaks will not result in any reduction of pay for
               the employee.


               3.9.13 Notification Requirements
               Before your maternity leave begins
               As  soon  as  reasonably  practicable  but  not  later  than  4  weeks  before  the  start  of your  Minimum
               maternity leave, you must notify a Partner/Director in writing of the date on which you will commence
               your  maternity  leave  together  with  a  medical  certificate  confirming  the  expected  week  of
               confinement.  Notification  by  you  for  an  Extension  of  maternity  leave  must  be  given  as  soon  as
               practicable.




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