The Federation of Small Businesses is calling on the Government to reform maternity and paternity leave in the light of its latest report Flexible working: Small business solutions. FSB research highlights that maternity and paternity leave is one of the most complicated issues in the employment field and half of all members rated it as very complex to administer.
Under current rules, women can take 52 weeks' leave, with 39 of these on statutory maternity pay, and men two weeks' paid paternity leave. But although many women benefit from the full length of leave in the UK, 37 per cent of lower-paid workers tend to go back within six months, compared to 11 per cent of those on higher pay (£29,000 to 39,000).
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