Related material

• Shared Parental Leave

• Paternity Leave
• Flexible working
• Right to Work in the UK

Policy info
Version No. Date of change Summary of change

1 1st April 2015 New policy

2 1st June2015 Addition of paid time off for post-natal appointments

3 March 2015 Changes to LEL
4 January 2016 Update on SPL
5 14th March 2016 Updated benefits information
5.1 st
21 June 2017 • Updated Statutory Maternity Pay information.
• Clearer information on returning to original job after maternity leave
in Section 6.
• Updated information on holiday entitlement in Section 7.

5.2 16th August 2017 Updated information on holiday entitlement in Section 7 - holiday will still be
paid up at the end of the holiday year until the new payroll system is in place.

6 22nd October 2017
• Section 2d – clearer on information on extending company sick pay
for pregnancy-related illnesses and starting maternity leave early if
off sick with a pregnancy-related illness in the 4 weeks before your
due date
• Added in a link to the Sickness Absence Manager’s guide which
provides more information on miscarriage and stillbirth
• Section 3 – Information added about alternative options to a MATB1
for starting SMP if your baby comes early
• Updated SMP and Lower Earnings Limit figures
• Updated Section 4 to include new enhanced maternity pay package
for colleagues with 2+ years’ service
• Added in Section 6b on Right to Work and what to do if it is due to
expire while on maternity leave
• Clearer information on requesting discontinuous shared parental
leave
• Updated information on when returning to work, the colleague has
the right to return to their previous role, even if they choose to take
the full 52 weeks of maternity leave
• Added in Section 9c about breastfeeding

6.1 March 2018 • Updated roles and responsibilities

6.2 April 2018 • Update to SMP

• Update to LEL

6.3 July 2018 • Update to service criteria for enhanced maternity payments

Internal, Maternity, Version 8.1, Page 7 of 8 – December 2020

 would end your maternity leave early and simply
use holiday entitlement);
• Use your holiday to support a phased return to
work (as agreed with your manager);
• Use holidays in the normal way after you return.
If you are still on maternity leave at the end of the holiday
year, any holidays and bank holidays from the current
holiday year that you haven’t taken by 31st March will
automatically be paid to you in your April pay. If you want
to carry over your holidays into the next holiday year, you
need to inform your manager of this before the beginning
of March. Any holiday carried over would need to be taken
after you have returned from maternity leave and before
any permanent shift pattern change. (Please note that
any parts of the business that have gone over to the
new payroll system will not have any remaining
holiday entitlement paid up – it will be carried over into
the following holiday year. In the new payroll system
there will be one consolidated entitlement for holidays
and bank holidays)
8. Can I take shared parental leave?
Shared parental leave is time off work that’s designed to
give you more flexibility in how to share the care of your
child in the first year. If you take shared parental leave you
would opt out of maternity leave and into shared parental
leave.
You can share up to 50 weeks’ leave (you need to have at
least 2 weeks off work after the birth of your baby) with your
partner. If you qualify for shared parental leave then there
are forms that you need to submit at least 8 weeks before
you wish to take leave.
Shared parental leave must be taken in blocks of at least
one week and can start on any day. You can apply for one
block of continuous leave or several blocks of
discontinuous leave. Discontinuous leave can either be
requested in a single notice to your manager, or through
three separate notices to book three separate periods of
leave.
If you’re taking maternity leave, you will continue to be
entitled to 39 weeks of statutory maternity pay or maternity
allowance. If you decide to end your maternity leave within
39 weeks then any remaining statutory pay can be shared
between you and your partner.
If you are entitled to 14 weeks’ full or half maternity pay,
and opt to take shared parental leave during this time, then
you will drop to statutory shared parental pay and lose your
full or half pay entitlement.
You are able to work for up to 20 days while you are on
shared parental leave without this affecting your right to the
leave or any pay you may be receiving. These days at work
are called ‘Shared Parental Leave in Touch’ (SPLiT) days
and can be taken as single days or a block of days, as
agreed with your manager. This is on top of the 10
‘Keeping in Touch’ days you are entitled to while on
maternity leave.
Internal, Maternity, Version 8.1, Page 6 of 8 – December 2020
For more details about shared parental leave and applying
for it, then please read the Shared Parental Leave Policy.
9. I’m pregnant whilst on maternity
leave, so will I be eligible for further
maternity leave and pay?
You are entitled to 52 weeks of maternity leave for each
pregnancy, as there is no qualifying period for maternity
leave. To be eligible for maternity pay you must meet the
requirements as described in the “Am I entitled to maternity
pay?” section of this policy.
10. What happens when I return to work?
Legally you cannot return to work in the first two weeks
following the birth of your baby. If you’d like to return to
work before 52 weeks, provide your manager with at least
eight weeks’ notice of your preferred return date. This
same notice applies if you choose to opt into shared
parental leave.
You have the right to return to the same job you were doing
before your maternity leave, even if you choose to take the
full 52 weeks (unless you were moved to a different job for
pregnancy related reasons, in which case you’ll return to
your original, pre-pregnancy job). If it isn’t possible for us
to return you to your same role, and this will be in
exceptional circumstances such as a restructure, we will
find you a similar role with the same terms and conditions
and rates of pay.
If your job was unfortunately made redundant, you will be
offered a suitable vacancy if possible. If there is no suitable
alternative work, you may be entitled to redundancy pay.
We look after maternity returners and will consider
retraining, job shadowing, handovers etc. where
appropriate to facilitate a smooth return to work.
a) Health and Safety Risk Assessment
If you return to work within six months of having a baby or
while you are breastfeeding, we will conduct a further
health and safety risk assessment on the day you return to
work.
b) Annual health checks
You will be invited to an annual health, by the NHS, check
once your child turns one, and again when they turn two.
We will try and move your shifts around or let you make up
the hours but if this isn’t possible, we’ll pay up to 2½ hours
contractual pay for the time off.
c) Breastfeeding
If you return to work and are still breastfeeding or wish to
express milk, we will ensure that you have a private and
comfortable room or space for you to do so.
 6.4 September 2018 • Inclusion of gender neutral and gender inclusive terminology in the
policy and the suite of associated documents.
• ‘Family quick guide’ and ‘You’re having a baby guide’ updated to
reflect the change in payment holiday for SAYE from 6 months to 12
months.
• ‘Family quick guide’ and ‘You’re having a baby guide’ updated to
reflect the change in childcare vouchers schemes.

7 December 2018 • Clarified when maternity leave can start.

• Included timelines associated with the initial H&S risk assessment
and clarified when colleagues should expect H&S risk assessment
on return to work.
• Clarified that colleagues on the new payroll system have one
consolidated holiday entitlement (including bank holidays).
• Removal of references to OurTesco.
• Simplified the “Am I entitled to maternity pay?” section.
• Clarified that you don’t need to be eligible for SMP to work a KIT day.
• Simplified language around stillbirth and neonatal death.
• Included new section on consecutive pregnancies.
• Clarified that annual health checks are those completed by the NHS.
• Included government link to SMP and LEL values.

7.1 April 2019 • KIT day approach changed.

8 February 2020 • Updated to reflect the increase to company enhanced maternity pay,
with first 14 weeks paid at best of contractual or average.

8.1 December 2020 • Clarified the breakdown of SMP in section 4

• Evidence may be requested for Antenatal appointments

Policy owner:
UK Workplace Relations Team

Ownership and confidentiality

This document shouldn’t be shared with anyone externally without permission from your Director. This policy and any
associated documentation remains the property of Tesco and should be returned if requested.

This is an online document. Hard copies and downloaded versions are valid only on the day printed or downloaded. It is the
responsibility of colleagues to check the current status of this document on Colleague Help.

Internal, Maternity, Version 8.1, Page 8 of 8 – December 2020